Careless words
by TheUnwelcomeVisitor
Summary: Careless words lead to embarrasing moments... and something more.Chlark Set early Season one.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Careless words… (Working title) (Chlark)

**Author:** TheUnwelcomeVisitor

**Disclaimer:** All characters, references, and other things even remotely connected to 'Smallville' are property of someone else entirely. (Not me, just making it clear)

**Summary:** Careless words lead to embarrassing moments, and something more… Chlark

**W****ord Count:** 3636

**Written:** July 2007

Careless words…

"It's a date"

Clark where having a really crappy day. Rising with the dawn, after severely damaging his alarm clock, he had done his chores lacking the usual energy. His parents where gone on a "business trip" to Metropolis, at least according to them. According to Clark there had been too much smiling, kissing and on occasion, which he shuddered remembering, two parents going on like two very hormonal teenagers. Not that he minded them leaving, he enjoyed the solitude, but he really missed the flap-jacks he had grown used to expecting for breakfast.

But it wasn't that, which ruined the day. It wasn't even the prospect of having to "enjoy" the mystery meat of the Smallville High school cafeteria. Not even the cold stares he got from the schools Quarterback Whitney, the blonde and popular boyfriend of Lana Lang, who incidentally had been the women of his dreams since he was… well, forever really, could so absolutely crush the prospect of a happy day.

It was three little words, spoken by the women who had recently taken up more and more of his "Lana time" and even started competing with her for the place as the main actress of his dreams. Chloe Sullivan.

_Mmm…Chloe. _He caught himself quickly. _Stop it! It's your best friend you're thinking about!_

She stormed into the boy's locker room while he was changing for PE, walked right up to him with a thousand watt smile plastered across her face, not even bothering to acknowledge the other guys presence.

"Uh… Hi?" He immediately cursed himself for once again starting a conversation with an Uh? _What am I? A freaking' Neanderthal?_

She just stepped in closer. To close in fact, since as soon as the smell of her perfume hit him, he became about as coherent thinking as an ape. _She smells _Good, _really good. I wonder what perfume she's wearing?_

He then, of course, realised she had been talking while he stood there smiling like a moron.

"Uh… sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

She stepped in even closer. _ Like kissing close. Stop! Best. Friend. Must. Fight. It._

"You. Me. Tonight. Two tickets to the concert. Yes?" She said in an exaggerated, but clear voice, while looking up at him from under strands of hair, seductively. _Does she so that on purpose? Of course she does! She's just talking, it's you who's acting like she's throwing herself at you. Who's standing in front of you! Chloe Sullivan, your best friend! She wouldn't do that!_ His mind yelled at him. But deep inside a doubtful voice whispered; _Would she?_

_Chloe's really beautiful. I wonder why I didn't notice that until now. No, Not now! Focus!_

Thinking about Lana might help him distract himself from her beauty. Not much, but a little. _Best friend. Best friend. Best friend. Sexy friend. Noooo! Lana, Lana,_ _Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana…_

"Hello?" Hand waving across face. "Earth to Clark? Clark! Come on, it's not a particularly difficult question." Amused smile._ Beautiful smile…No!_ _Lana, Lana,_ _Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana…_

He realised he still hadn't said anything. _Shit! I look like a moron! You are a moron, thinking about Chloe like that!_

"Yeah…it's a date." _Shit!_ "I mean… you know what I mean, rig…"

"It's a date" She cut him off. Beaming up at him with a smile so bright as to outshine the sun, before practically skipping out the door.

"Ehh…" He said after her, blinking, but she was already gone.

The other boys weren't. He realized they must have been staring all along. Then he realized how it must look, how he must look, standing there, shirt unbuttoned and only wearing one sock.

Then something surprising happened. Every guy in the room broke up in huge grins and Clark's best friend since kindergarten, Pete Ross, gave a catcall that threatened to break the windows. Before he knew it they'd gathered around him laughing and clapping him on his back. It was if all of a sudden he was popular. Decidedly not an unwelcome feeling, especially since he was a member of both the schools math team and the school paper.

Whitney, the huge blond quarterback broke it up with a shrill whistle.

"Listen up! Coach is sick, and he put me in charge. Change and head out, Now!" The last part came out as a roar.

All the other boys quickly left the locker room, chanting something about Clark and Chloe. Clark didn't pay attention, deep in his own thoughts.

Last to head out to the field, Clark was surprised to find Whitney waiting for him in the doorway. Putting a friendly arm around Clark's broad shoulders, he led him to the field where the others were waiting.

"Hey, Clark! Congratulations on finally stepping up with that Chloe chick. Makes me a lot happier that you aren't out for my girl anymore, huh? I talked to the guys while you were changing, and we figured you needed some encouragement…"

Too late Clark saw that all the other guys were grinning evilly, even Pete.

"So we thought, why not make this lesson all about you?" Whitney finished, his face cracking with an equally evil grin.

_Shit! Shit! Shit!_

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

It had taken Chloe an hour to work up the courage to go speak to him, and when she finally did she was so exited she didn't realize that he was in the Boy's locker room. She almost stopped when she realised she was surrounded by half naked football players. But then she saw Him. Staring at her, half the buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, unkempt hair, his piercing eyes touching her soul.

She'd walked so close as she dared in a room full of people, afraid someone would draw the wrong conclusions. Like she was there to ask him out on a date. She almost giggled.

"Uh…Hi" He said sounding a little strange. _Wonder why, isn't like I walked in on him changing, or anything. Oh…yeah…_

"HiClarkI'vegottoticketstotheconcertandIrealywant…" She trailed of as she realised he wasn't paying attention.

"Uh… sorry, I didn't quite catch that." She moved closer. His smell was intoxicating. She desperately wanted to grip his collar and drag him down to eye level. With an effort of will she made herself calm, but couldn't resist gripping his shirt, just so she could touch him. _Easy, where still just friends. For now…_

"You. Me. Tonight. Two tickets to the concert. Yes?" She was now so close she caught the smell of him in the air. She often joked that he smelled like a cow, _which he kind of does sometimes, _but she loved the smell of him. She nervously started fiddling with the edge of his shirt, not daring to meet his gaze any longer.

Still no reaction. She started getting upset. _What if he says No? Please, Clark, don't say no! _

"Hello?" Hand waving across face. "Earth to Clark? Clark! Come on, it's not a particularly difficult question." _He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to. _The thought echoed in her mind louder and louder. She felt her eyes stinging. _No! Don't let him see how much you care! Still only friends!_

"Yeah…it's a date." _Shit! Did he really say that?_ It felt like a stone the size of a SUV had been lifted of her shoulders "I mean… you know what I mean, rig…" Not wanting him to ruin the pink cloud of happiness rising around her, she cut him of.

"It's a date" _I can't believe I just said that? Ohh… Goosebumps. _Practically skipping out of the room, she barely noticed everyone's stares. Outside the locker room she nearly fell over dead as she walked into a group of cheerleaders. _I weren't in there, please believe me. Please God make them ignore it now and I'll praise you forever!_

The head cheerleader Lana stepped up, smiling. Looking at the smiling raven haired beauty, her heart sank. _Clark is in love with her, you're just his sidekick. His Friend. And friends don't drool over each other, or dream the kind of dreams you're dreaming about him._

Her pink cloud tilted and fell, and was replaced by a storm cloud.

"I didn't do anything!" She blurted out before Lana even got a chance to open her mouth. _Her pretty mouth. No, it isn't her fault. It's just fate, God doesn't really love me._

"I didn't say you did…" Chloe breathed out heavily. "But it sure sounds like you did." Lana finished with a small smile. _ What? No…_

Then she heard it. Behind her the walls shook with laughter and catcalls. Turning red she quickly tried to make up a story that wouldn't lead to her being the new laughing stock of the school.

She realised all the cheerleaders were staring at her, grinning. Then she heard it to. A small sound, quickly rising in intensity. At first hidden behind the general sounds of exited boys in the room behind her, but not for long, soon it echoed trough the entire floor.

"Clark got a date with Chloe! Clark got a date with Chloe! Clark got a date …"

She was sure no other human had ever been so embarrassed before. She could feel herself blush, from the roots of her hair to the tip of her toes, or at least it felt like it. She would never be allowed to forget this. She had to get out of here…

But before she could move she was surrounded by cheerleaders who smiling and hugging, actually congratulating her to her "big catch". "You to are so right for each other", "Finally!" and "You got a date with Clark Kent? Like the Hottest kid in school!" Except for interviewing some of them for the Torch, she never had had a conversation with any of these people. Except Lana of course. And now they nearly wrestled for a place at her side. And she was sure some of them looked jealous. _Cheerleaders, jealous at her? First Clark, and now this?_ She had died and gone to heaven.

Then reality came crashing down on her. _You have a date with Clark Kent. He thinks he's just going to hang out with a friend. Friend. And you don't date your friends, do you?_ She could feel the tears welling up unbidden, but fought them back. "I've got to get to the Torch. Sorry." She managed to mumble, as she made her way out of the crowd of cheerleaders surrounding her.

She nearly ran trough the school, blinking rapidly to hold back the tears, avoiding looking at people she passed; sure they would spot her tears. As the door closed behind her and she finally where alone, she let herself go a little and started silently sobbing.

Clark would never love her as she loved him; he only had eyes for Lana. She was his friend, a goofy reporter sidekick. _But it felt good tricking yourself, didn't it?_

The thought brought a fresh flood of tears to her eyes. Five minutes ago she had been the happiest teen in Smallville, now she felt worse than she had done since her mom left her.

But inside her a tiny voice whispered.

_Yes, it did…_

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Clark swore. His mother had imprinted in him a very clean language. But it didn't show today. For what felt like the thousandth time he brushed himself off and pulled himself of the ground. _It probably is the thousandth time,_ he thought angrily.

"Me and the other guys think you're a little lazy. Prove us wrong. Run!" Whitney had shouted.

He had made Clark run, jump, crawl, spin, roll, do handstand, pushups and all kinds of things. Each task thought up by one of the other guys in class, who seemed to be enjoying his pain. And all were impossible. At least for an ordinary human. Like sprinting eight laps carrying Cliff, the fat lineman, or seven hundred and twelve pushups on the point of his index fingers. Clark could easily have done them, without even breaking a sweat. _Not really true. You're sweating like a pig already._

And he was, panic induced sweating obviously was something he shared with other mammals. And the thought that he would, purely by accident do something inhuman had driven him into panic twenty minutes ago. _At least people won't notice that you're not sweating._

What was more worrying was that as the class drew to an end, he still hadn't succeeded in any task the guys had given him. For he, not wanting to risk it, failed those tasks which were humanly possible as well.

"Farm boy! Get in here!" Not realising the others left the field; he was the last one off. _Great, it's finally over._ But he was wrong, and as he entered the hall he saw everyone standing around a rope hanging from the ceiling. "We decided to have the last one inside, since you obviously don't perform well out in the fresh air." Whitney roared out, in a perfect imitation of the loudmouthed football coach usually filling in for their gym teacher.

Pete stepped up to Clark, who drew a huge breath of relief. _Pete, I forgot he would choose one to._

"Hey man, Whitney decided that if you couldn't actually finish a task we had to punish you. So I gave you an easy one. You just climb the rope, give us a wave, slide down, and accept the praise." Pete said as he flourished his hands in the general direction of the ropes. "Go get it!"

Relieved he wouldn't get to find out what Whitney meant with "punished", he pulled himself of the padded mat and into the air. _ I knew I could count on Pete. Wait… padded mat? They haven't really been considerate until now, and it's not really a long fall…_

Too late he realised something where wrong. He barely had time for a panicked glance earthwards, which revealed that everyone below him was armed with dodge balls and evil grins. With time to think he would probably have realised that the dodge balls couldn't really harm him. Unfortunately for Clark he didn't have any time before a swarm of red balls impacted on him. Flinging his arms up in protection, he lost his grip on the rope and fell. The surprise of impact drove the air out of his lungs, so for a time he just laid there, gasping, wheezing and doing a rather perfect job, acting like he was a kid who had been hit by two dozen dodge balls and fallen fourteen feet to the ground.

When he finally got air back into his lungs, only Pete, Whitney and he remained in the room.

"That was punishment for failing everything?" He managed to say. "Wasn't it?" he added. A small hope rising in his chest. _Finally over. Thank God._

Pete rubbed tears of laughter of his face. "No such luck man." He said, helping Clark to his feet. "That was actually my task working really perfectly." He paused. "I was pretty pissed off about the whole date thing. I can't believe you wouldn't tell me." He actually managed to look a little hurt, before chuckling. "Not anymore though, now we're even."

Then he patted Clark on the back and jogged off to the showers. Clark was just going to follow him, when he felt Whitney's hand on his shoulder.

"Not so fast, Kent." The quarterback said. "You got some cleaning to do, you didn't think **I** would stay behind to pick up your mess."

_Shit! Shit!_ _Shit! Shit!_ _Shit! Shit!_

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Lana Lang walked trough the empty halls of Smallville High, thinking about what she just seen.

_Clark and Chloe, Finally together. _She smiled, it had taken them an awfully long time to realise what everyone else saw as soon as they laid eyes on them. That they were perfect together.

Passing the Torch, she flinched and turned around. _ It couldn't be?_ But it was, from the other side of the door a barely audible sob broke the silence. _It can't be Chloe, can it? I mean she was happy just a minute ago._ But no one except Chloe should be at the Torch now; it was in the middle of class for most people. She only had time off since she was head cheerleader, and supposedly needed the time to organise the cheerleading for the next game.

Something wasn't right. She and Chloe weren't really friends, as every time they met Chloe acted with a polite disdain for her. And she never found out why. But Lana felt that she should do something anyway, since she rather liked the blonde girl always tagging along with Pete and Clark.

She sighed. The cheerleading had to wait.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Chloe quickly stifled a sob. She had nearly jumped out of her clothes when she heard the knocking on the door. "Who is it?" she asked. Even to herself her voice sounded thick with tears and hurt. Glancing at her reflection in a computer monitor, she winced. She looked like she'd been crying for hours, her makeup ran in streaks across her face and even her hair seemed to have become untangled in pure sympathy for the rest of her. A glance at the clock showed that she actually had been crying for hours.

_I don't even have a good explanation._ And she realized she hadn't. She cried simply because Clark would be her friend, and never realize she needed something more. _Silly reason for tears._ But she had to force herself not to start again.

"It's Lana. Chloe, is that you?" Lana's voice sounded worried. "Let me in." _ Even her voice is more beautiful than mine._

"No, I'm fine. I just…" She trailed off. She needed a coffee. _ And I need Clark._

She heard the handle rattle, and realised she forgot to lock the door. Too late, as Lana peered in. Upon seeing Chloe's tearstained face, she went in, closing the door behind her. Silently she sat down beside her and laid an arm around her shoulders. Picking up a tissue from the desk Chloe had been sitting by; she proceeded to wipe away the tearstained makeup.

Feeling pressured to fill the, to her, cavernous, silence Chloe spoke. "He will never love me" it came out almost a sob.

"Who, Clark? He probably does already. He's with you every second of every day."

"He's with me because he's my friend. He only has eyes for you." She regretted the words as soon as she'd said them. _It's the truth. He has. _A small part of her piped up, doubling her regret in an instant. _But she didn't know that. And he probably wanted it that way. And now you betrayed his secret. What's next? Telling her about his telescope? _A tiny thought crept up; _Do it, she'll never like him if she finds that out._ But she forced it back down. She wouldn't ruin her friend's life like that, even if it meant Clark and her would be just friends forever.

"So that's why you hate me! I thought I'd done something horrible." Lana, strangely seemingly not even bothered by the fact that Clark was drooling over her. _She's probably used to guys drooling over her, _Chloe thought. _God knows Clark's not the only one. Even Pete tends to drool when he watches her practice. _Of course Pete drooled over anything with two legs and a pair of breasts.

"He's not in love with me. All guys look at girls. Besides have you seen the looks he has been giving you lately?" Lana continued. "Not really I'm-Just-A-Friend-Looking-At-his-Blonde-Sidekick looks, if you know what I mean?" Lana smiled at the shocked look on Chloe's face.

_Clark's been looking at me? Looking-looking at me? _A silly grin broke trough the sadness. And suddenly she even forgot why she cried.

"And besides he's going out on a date with you, if the entire boys choir of Smallville Is to be trusted." Lana giggled.

Once again, the slowly rising pink cloud dispersed. "It's not really a date." Chloe managed, in a small voice, her eyes not leaving the floor.

"What! But the boys chanted it in the locker room. I'm told you could hear it in the parking lot!"

Chloe felt her ears turn red. _Everybody knows._ "I mean, we're just going as friends."_ God, just saying it out loud hurt._

"And you want more, I take it?" Not waiting for an answer Lana continued. "Then make something more of it!"

"How?" Chloe felt stupid for asking. "I can't even make him notice me."

"First we'll fix your makeup" Lana said while reaching for her purse. "Then we'll work on your confidence. He notices you, believe me." She pulled Chloe closer with one arm while balancing her rather huge makeup collection in the crook of her arm. Starting to fill in the makeup she had wiped away earlier, she wondered how Chloe, who could spot a story a mile away with her eyes closed could miss a six foot teenager staring at her all day.

"How can you be so sure? He doesn't show it." Chloe started feeling better, now that she began looking a little less like a girl who had spent the morning crying her eyes out.

"Because all teenage boys are alike, and I practically have to grab Whitney by the hair to stop him from staring at your cute behind every time you pass us in the hall."

_The day's getting better._Chloe thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

The day was only getting worse.

He had spent so long time finding every ball that had hit him that when he got out of the shower the locker room was empty. _At least I don't have to listen to them laughing at me._

Wrapping his towel around his waist, he went to his gym locker. It was empty. For a moment he dumbly stood staring at the space his things should occupy. Then he realised, this was the punishment Whitney talked about. Sitting innocently on the top shelf, was a note addressed to him.

'_We're waiting outside. Come out into the hall, or you'll have to walk home like that.'_

_Promising,_ Clark thought bitterly.

When he finally took the courage to walk out of the locker room, desperately clutching his towel, he found Whitney and Pete in the hall. Whitney looked amused, while Pete looked a bit ashamed.

Luckily, besides the three of them, the hallway was abandoned. Whitney held out a folded note towards him.

"Here, Don't read it or I'll keep your clothes. Give it to your girlfriend, she'll understand it."

"You mean I have to cross school like this!" Clark nearly screamed. Normally a shy guy, he was too shocked to even contemplate what that meant. _Witch is a relief, _the conscious part of his mind thought.

"No, Pete insisted that you could wear these." Whitney held out Clark's giant boots. "And I get what he's coming from, the floor's real dirty."

"You mean I have to cross school like this!" Clark realised he was repeating himself, but couldn't help it. The shock was diminishing enough so that he started realising what that meant, exactly what that meant.

"Oh, you better hurry, class ends in four minutes." Pete said glancing at his clock. "And then these halls will be full of people. Girl people." Pete looked up smiling.

But Clark never heard him; he had come to that same conclusion himself, and already had his boots on and sprinted as fast as he could while maintaining the towel around his waist. The last thing he wanted to do was stand around in the hall all day surrounded by women.

_The problem is, you're going to have to face one to get out of this. Chloe._

The thought made him as nauseous as walking head first into a wall of meteor rock.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Chloe had, with the help of Lana, had finally restored some semblance of order in the makeup region and had just started on her hair when the desperate knocking started.

"Please Chloe, open the door!" Followed by knocking nearly loud enough to drown out the ringing that signalled end of class. "Please!" The knocking cut off, mid knock. A second later the door burst open inwards, and Clark Kent stumbled trough, breathing heavily, nearly dropping his towel. _His towel. He's only wearing a towel. Ooh…_

The thought made her shudder. Standing there open mouthed in shock, she stared at him. The world seemed to pause, droplets of water sitting like diamonds on his chest and stomach. _Looking perfect, like sculpted from marble._ She felt something like a physical need to follow the dripping trails across his ribcage with her finger. She actually stopped, hand halfway to his chest. _How did he get so close?,_ She wondered, before realizing that she had risen from her chair and crossed the space between them. She took control of herself by force of will, her hand an arms length from his perfect chest. Only then did she realize he'd been talking. Tearing her gaze from his abs, she focused on his mouth. _Look at those soft lips. Imagine them against yours. No, got to hear what he's saying! Eyes, like gazing into two gates to heaven…_

She finally woke from her daze as he pushed a note into her hand. She tore her eyes of him, looked at him, he looked expectant. Aahhh… He wants me to read it.

'We stole his clothes and sent him to you,' _Thank you whoever you are,' _just mark him as yours, send him back, and he'll get to put his clothes back on_.'_ _The question is; Do I really want that? _Chloe thought.

"Ooh… I've seen this before. They did it with Phil, Cheryl's boyfriend." Lana said, having read it over Chloe's shoulder. "But they only took his pants." Silently she added in a whisper, inches from Chloe's ear. "Lucky you!"

"L-l-lana! What are you doing here?" Clark succeeded to stammer out at last. Glad that he for once didn't feel nauseous around her. Now he just felt naked and uncomfortable. _Perhaps God thought I finally had earned a break._

"So how do I 'Mark him as mine'? Magic marker across the forehead?" Chloe asked not even bothering to respond to Clark.

"Cheryl used lipstick." Lana whispered. "And she didn't write anything." She added grinning.

"Naughty." Chloe face lit up in a thousand watt smile. "Mind if I borrow yours?"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Clark, having only caught the first thing Chloe said, as they'd spoken to softly for him to pick up, squirmed. _Mark me? Magic marker across the forehead? As if striding half naked down half the school wasn't bad enough._

"I'm going to leave you two alone." Lana told Chloe, and grinning widely the two of them wrapped their arms around each other. _Mmm… Now, why can't I do that?_ Clark thought. But he couldn't make himself decide which woman he would prefer to wrap his arms around._ Lana obviously._ _Chloe's just my friend. _Still his mind was filled with visions of taking Chloe in his arms and pressing his lips against hers. _Just my friend!_ His hands trailing down her back, closer and closer to her shapely butt. _Yes…No! Just friends. Think about Lana. Lana is acceptable dream material. Focus man!_

"Just call me if you need any advice… about anything." Lana let out a sigh, took a last glance at the half naked boy, and left. Clark started to get really nervous. It had been extremely awkward being half naked in the same room as Lana Lang, but now he was alone with a woman who frequented his dreams. And she had a sly smile on her face. Clark swallowed loudly. He was getting closer and closer to panic the longer she just stood there smiling. _She's planning something, I just know it. Relax, she's your best friend, she's not going to embarrass you in front of the whole school._ Finally letting out a loud sigh, he forced himself to relax. _That's right she's my friend, not like someone who like to embarrass me in public. _

A thought struck him_; Wasn't that what you thought about Pete, as well?_

_I'm so screwed._

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Lana leaned her head against the door, trying to hear what they were saying over the din of the school hallway.

_Come On! Come on! Please say something! I want to know what's happening!_

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

"I will help you get your clothes back." He sighed out in relief. "But I have some conditions."

His throat closed and he couldn't breath. _What? Please God, get me out of this mess!_

"First of…" She moved closer. He tried to back away when he saw the predatorily glint in her eyes. "I need you to…" With a final step she had cornered him, back to the door. _Luckily for me it opens inwards, otherwise she would have chased me down the hallway like this._ Clark's mind desperately blurted out, trying to focus on anything else than his incredibly beautiful friend, who at this moment sauntered sexily towards him. "Be ready at eight tonight…" Closing the final distance she reached out, grabbing the back of his head. "My dad's driving us." With that she pulled him down to eye level, and pressed her lips to his cheek.

It felt like someone had pressed a red-hot steel bar to his cheek. No, a red-hot meteor rock against his cheek. But in a good way. His knees went weak. _I liked that…_ And even the part of him shouting to him to stop this before it ruined their friendship couldn't add anything. Except; _Please, do it again!_

Chloe's hand traced lazy circles across his chest. Smiling she reached up and drew her fingers trough the hair on the back of his head. "I need you…" _Ooh Chloe, I need you too. _"To wear something nice tonight." Pulling him down towards her lips she said, "Not flannel." Pressing her lips to his other cheek, she made him groan. His eyes started to burn a little, but went unnoticed since his entire face felt on fire. "Not flannel." She repeated huskily.

"And lastly…" He felt acutely aware that she was pressed against his body. He could feel her body heat against him. "And lastly…" The burning sensations in his eyes where increasing, they almost felt like they would burst into flame. "…The towel stays with me."_ What! But I… me…they... _Unable to form a thought coherent enough to make him upset, since she snaked her fingers trough his hair and pulled him straight down to her lips. This time she didn't aim for a cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned in. but no kiss came. He could feel her pulling away slightly. "Yes… the towel stays…" the sensible part of his mind screamed in outrage, but the rest of his mind, as well as parts of his body, shouted; _I don't care! Kiss her! But she's my friend! Don't care! Kiss! You'll have to walk naked back! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!_

Breathing heavily, his eyes burning like twin suns in his head, he felt her lean in again. His mind couldn't find a coherent thought to go with the feelings racing trough him. Except for; _Kiss her!_

Finally, his day was getting better.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hope you enjoy (and review). should get it updated pretty soon.

//TheUnwelcomeVisitor


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Lana couldn't believe what she was hearing. When Chloe had asked for the towel she nearly fainted. _And he said yes. How Chloe could think he didn't have feelings for her after this was unimaginable._

She nearly fainted again as she heard a loud throat clear right behind her. As she turned, Mrs. Chandler, the middle-aged art teacher stood staring at her, hands on her hips.

"What's going on here? I came to talk to Ms. Sullivan, since she didn't bother showing up for art this morning. And here I find you listening at her door?"

"I'm…ehh…" Lana trailed of. She shook herself. No matter how embarrassing it was for her, Clark and Chloe were about to be busted. Hammering her fist to the door, she spoke very loud; "I've been looking for her too, but the door was locked so I tried to hear if she's in there." It was a terrible lie, but the best she could think of this quick.

"Really? Well then, let's find out shall we?" Mrs. Chandler said, in a tone of voice which made clear that she didn't believe a word, and reached for the door handle.

Lana could only hope her warning had been in time.

_--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- _

Clark froze. His lips barely a quarter inch from Chloe's, and someone was outside the door, talking. Gripping her shoulders he tried to push her away, a task not made easier by her uncooperative attitude. As a matter of fact parts of him didn't want to cooperate, either. He had to force himself to turn away.

He could feel her warm breath against his neck. Trying to get his mind working again, and off the image of his best friend clinging to him, he opened his burning eyes desperately searching for something, anything, for him to focus on. _Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana, Lana. _Not even the now familiar mantra worked. Every time he tried to picture her, the image changed to Chloe. He was intensely, painfully, aware of her full red lips being inches from his skin. The name echoing in his mind changed to _Chloe._ Trying to stop it became as futile as trying to push her away. Losing control over his mind once again, he let his arms drop.

She used his crumbling resistance to press herself harder against his body. Putting her mouth to his ear she whispered; "Clark?" Her voice sounding hurt and confused. But Clark didn't hear her anymore. As she pressed herself against him he couldn't take it anymore. The feeling of her hands in his hair, her body against his, even the soft curls of her hair against his naked chest. He breathed heavily, and as she whispered his name against his ear, something inside of him snapped. The burning sensation in his eyes exploded outwards. By a stroke of luck, the fire hit a window. Immediately melting a hole trough the center of it and continuing shooting away, finally ending up melting the rubber of the principals front left tire, leaving nothing but a black stain on the asphalt.

After releasing the flames, Clarks head felt clearer. Breathing heavily like he'd sprinted up the side of a cliff, he finally gathered enough strength to push Chloe away.

"Chloe, someone's at the door." He managed without looking at her. He'd just found out he could shoot fire from his eyes, and it scared him. He knew he was strong and fast, but fire from the eyes? It made him tremble.

She quickly collected herself, backing away from him and fixing her hair. Spinning around he desperately looked for a way to escape. She calmly pointed at a window. Since the Torch occupied a part of the second floor it would be easy to slip out into the bushes below. The door handle rattled.

"Ms. Sullivan! Open this door right now! Don't make me angry!" Which was a silly threat, since she already screamed at the top of her lungs, obviously not in a good mood.

"Go! I won't tell her you were in here." Chloe said, waving him towards the window.

"Thank you. You have no idea how happy that would make me." Walking to the window he already had it opened when she again opened her mouth. "Clark? Aren't you forgetting something? The towel was supposed to stay here, wasn't it?"

Spinning to face her with a shocked expression, he saw once again the old Chloe. She stood smiling and clearly wasn't being serious, just the old snarky Chloe who would tease him constantly about anything. Smiling he shook his head, the awkwardness of the situation temporarily forgotten. In response she stuck her tongue out at him. In an instant he saw a chance to make her the target and him the shooter for once.

"Where should I put it?" He asked playfully, feeling a grin splitting his face.

Taken aback by his answer she stammered; "Anywhere" a blush creeping up over her face.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Turn around." She looked like she were about to faint. Not able to resist rubbing it in he added; "You already owe me a kiss, and if you want the whole show, then that's extra." That made her spin around so fast he started wondering if he could have matched it even with his superhuman speed.

Chuckling to himself he put both his hands on the towel, ready to take it of. Finally realizing what he was about to do, he stopped. _Well, I'm kind of over committed now anyway._ Shrugging, he pulled of the towel, figuring he could always cover himself with something else.

Dropping the towel in Chloe's chair he froze. A sound echoed in his mind, made unnaturally loud by the panic it caused. Keys in a lock. Sprinting to the window he grabbed the first thing he saw to cover himself with, than took a dive out into the open.

Falling from a second floor window didn't even make him slow down. He was already running when he hit the ground.

_--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- _

Chloe still stood frozen with her back turned when Mrs. Chandler burst trough the door. _I can't believe it._

Mrs. Chandler stopped halfway into the room, faced with a red faced Chloe and what she thought was… no, that's not possible now, is it?

"Ms. Sullivan, was that Mr. Kent I saw diving out the window? Without a stitch?" She looked slightly dreamy as she said it. Over her shoulder Lana stood, both hands over her mouth, looking shocked.

But Chloe barely noticed them._ First he pulls away when I'm about to kiss him. _And she'd never felt so angry, hurt or disappointed. _Then she flashes me with that Kent charm of his, and strips naked before my eyes!_ She'd never been so amazed either. _Well not before my eyes technically but still… This will do. _Looking down on the camera in her hand, she smiled._ This will do very fine indeed._

_--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- _

Mrs. Chandler was too busy shouting at her to notice. But Lana had seen the Towel on the chair. A towel marked with the letters C and K.

She and Chloe looked at each other smiling while Mrs. Chandler continued, increasingly desperately; giving them a piece of her mind.

She finally gave up, since neither girl seemed to be even remotely aware of her presence. Walking of she daydreamed about a certain well muscled farm boy. _ If only I were ten years younger… _

_--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- _

Sorry About the short chapter but I should have the next one up in no time

// TheUnwelcomeVisitor


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.

Clark had a hell of a time reaching the boys locker room, without getting spotted by the multitude of giggling girls suddenly roaming the halls of Smallville High. _When did they suddenly become so many? _Clark wondered, having had to lurk in the shadows of a custodial closet more than once, while seemingly every girl in Smallville wandered by. _I swear, if Pete or Whitney told anyone…_ He trailed off; he wasn't really in a position to extract any revenge. _Not standing naked in a hallway anyway._

Finally slipping trough the door to the locker room, he breathed out a small sigh of relief. Both Pete and Whitney sat leaning against shower room wall. Quickly rising to embrace him Pete said; "Hey man, nice markings! How did you get Chloe to do that?" Clark froze. He'd totally forgot the markings. _No please God, don't make me go back there! _He didn't think he could meet Chloe face-to-face after the stunt he'd pulled before leaving. _Wait! What had Pete said? What markings? Chloe hadn't given him any._

Walking over to a mirror, he clearly saw what Pete had spoken about. _Great, not only was I walking naked trough school, I did it with this all over my face. _Clark suddenly found himself extremely happy he hadn't let anyone see him. On both his cheeks he had dark red lipstick smears in the shape of Chloe's lips. Reaching up, gently touching his right cheek, he could still feel the lingering touch of her lips. Remembering vividly those luscious lips closing in on his own, he felt the burning sensation returning to his eyes. That scared him back to reality.

"Yeah, nice ones." Whitney agreed. "But how do we know it was Chloe who gave them to him?" He shrugged. "For all we know he waited outside for the first girl to pass and begged her to do it." He smiled.

Clark just stood there unbelieving, how could he prove it was her? Luckily Pete came to his rescue.

"No chance Whitney. First off, Clark's really lucky Chloe feels enough pity for him to actually date him." Clark opened his mouth to protest, explain, or at least defend himself. Pete smacked him on the arm and continued. "Finding anyone blind or stupid enough to actually kiss him in the hallway would be a first-class miracle." Clark actually got insulted by that. Trying to cut in he earned another shoulder punch from Pete. "Secondly, look at this if you please." Gesturing to what Clark was covering himself with.

In his haste getting out the window he hadn't really looked at what he had grabbed. Looking down now he couldn't fathom he had gotten this far wearing, well…this. Covering his hips was Chloe's favorite red jacket. _She's going to kill me. I'm so dead… It won't even matter she can't even hurt me… she'll find a way._ Of that he had no doubt. Remembering to breath, he realized few things scared him as much as the prospect of meeting Chloe right now.

"In case you don't recognize Chloe's favorite jacket, I'll read the label." Clearing his throat, Pete raised his voice. "Property of Chloe Sullivan, which incidentally Clark here should get tattooed on his back…"

Whitney chuckled, smiling he said; "There's always next time." Both Pete and he laughed at that.

Putting his arm around Clark's shoulders he led him to the door. "Let's get you your clothes back and head to class. I wouldn't want you to be late now, would I?"

"You mean my clothes aren't here?" Clark whispered. _It isn't over…_

"No, we really thought they'd be safer in your locker. Especially if you tried to chicken out on us." Pete said opening the door. "Don't worry, man. I have the copy of your keys your mom gave me. You know, after you locked yourself out for the seventh time or something."

But Clark barely registered the conversation. In a few minutes class would start, and not wanting to be late Chloe would right now be running to her locker. _Right next to mine..._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Chloe and Lana were in fact walking up to her locker, heads close together, whispering to each other. Lana asking about Clark, and Chloe avoiding the subject, while staring into thin air, a vacant look on her face.

Chloe's mind was firmly on Clark, barely responding to Lana's questions. Wondering what to make of him. One second staring at her like she was Lana, the next pushing her away. _The kiss…_

If there were anything she couldn't forgive him for, it was that moment of rejection. She had put so much of herself into that kiss, which even now, ten minutes later made her heart pound like crazy, only to have him turn away.

Her heart had sunk to new depths, and she was sure he would never love her. Believing him too much in love with Lana to ever even notice her.

Then having him flashing her with the full Kent charm and offering to strip in front of her. She had spun around, too shocked and embarrassed to look him in the eyes._ It's a dream. As soon as you turn around he'll be gone. And you'll wake up drooling on your desk. Again._ The fear had chilled her blood. _None of this is real. _The situation felt so unreal, so much like a wish come true, that she felt in her heart it had to be a dream.

Inside her the need to turn around clashed with the fear of waking up to find out that this day had never happened, that he had to work out on the farm and couldn't make it to the concert, that she hadn't just placed her lips on his face.

Frustrated, she had just stood there, knowing that whatever she chose to do she'd risk every thing.

_Seeing Clark naked… Going out on a date with Clark?_ Before, even that very morning, she'd choose the date, every time. But pressing herself against his naked chest, running her fingers down his back… It had given her an almost physical need to see the rest of him.

The conflict between the need to see him and the fear of never having had him here with her, escalated until she had felt close to tears in frustration. Suddenly, she had found a solution. Only inches from her hand a camera lay. The only new piece of equipment the Torch boasted. A digital camera. Hardly daring to breath, she clutched it to her chest._ The question is… Does this count as peeking? _Thumbing the flash of, as she really didn't want him to notice the camera, she pointed it in the general direction of Clark and went to work with her back still turned, snapping of shots as fast as she could.

Suddenly he chuckled. Not really prepared for any sound from his part, not realizing the non-threatening nature of the sound, she nearly dropped the camera. _He saw me…oh God he knows what I'm doing._ Since turning away from him the seconds had seemed to stretch for ages, but nothing compared to the seconds she spent waiting for his footsteps behind her and the angry words that were set to follow. Only they didn't arrive. Except for her own rather ragged breathing and pounding heart, the room was ominously quiet. She quickly decided that whatever he was doing he wasn't going for her. _What a shame… if he did you'd have a perfect reason to turn around. _The thought sounded so naughty, echoing in her mind, she shuddered. _Naked, angry Clark…_ She could feel herself blushing. And still… her whole being tingled when she remembered pressing against him. _You should have reached down…_ nearly choking, she realized what she had been thinking. _Well, at least he would have remembered you… _Desperately trying to shut down the obviously, hormonal, _Not horny, never horny,_ parts of her mind, she saw that her finger had kept pressing the camera trigger reflexively.

Afterwards, walking the hallway with Lana she tried to explain her own behavior, rationalize her decisions to herself. The thing about keeping the towel, especially. She obviously hadn't really meant it; she couldn't even believe how she'd ever gotten the courage to ask him for it in the first place. It just kind of slipped out while leaning in to kiss him. It had been on her mind, surely. But even then she'd been shocked by how forward she had been. Before asking him out she had promised herself to go slow, as not to scare him away. She had started to pull back, realizing she had gone too far. And then he had answered, and all her doubts had been gone, as if swept away.

At that moment she believed what Lana said. She believed men looked at her. That Clark looked at her. That she was beautiful. _He was willing to walk naked trough school, just for a kiss from her._ She had felt like a Goddess. This had made her so much more vulnerable when he rejected her.

All her insecurities had returned with a vengeance. He had made her go from Goddess to beggar. No, even lower. After the confusion cleared she'd felt like crying. Not willing to let him see her tears she had been relieved when she heard Mrs. Chandler on the door.

Rallying herself, she had put up her best effort into once again be the Snarky-best-friend-reporter he was used to. What she had said then was strikingly close to what she had been thinking, but she forced it to sound like a joke. Perhaps a little more daring than she used to be, but close enough to her old self to allow her to start building a new emotional wall around herself. Only to have it crashing down on her ears when he didn't act as she thought he would.

Finally reaching the hallway her locker was located, she felt strange. Like her heart, and emotions with it, had been stretched, ripped and sewn together. Every time she spent time with Clark it felt like a roller coaster ride. Being happier than ever before just to be pushed down further than she thought she could. The end result was that she now was more confused than ever before in her life. Pushing trough a throng of people she finally reached her locker. Deep in thought she leaned her head against the locker, closed her eyes and tried to banish her problems long enough for to calm down and get a grip on herself.

It was awfully quiet. Even Lana had stopped talking. The only thing she could hear was someone rummaging around in a locker somewhere. That was decidedly odd. Even on a good day it was usually hard to hear yourself think. Turning to Lana she opened her eyes and started saying something snarky, just to make herself feel better. She stopped when she saw the look on her face. Lana was staring at something over Chloe's shoulder, and with a start she realized that so did everyone else. Dozens of shocked faces, all staring at something behind her. Spinning around she realized what had caught their interest.

_Ohhh…. _

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Clark felt his face blush. He was painfully aware that he was standing nearly naked in a crowded hallway. He blushed even harder. He also realized that no matter how much he wanted them to no one would ever forget this. He tried to make himself as small and non visible as possible. _Really very easy, since your half naked and six feet tall. _

Finally finding and grabbing his backpack and gym bag, he let out a sigh of relief. And tried to pretend he didn't feel the staring eyes of every person in Smallville high boring into him.

Closing the locker with one hand he turned around. And nearly dropped everything.

_Chloe._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Chloe's mind spun. Two feet away stood the love of her life. Dressed in practically nothing at all.

Seeing him turn around, red-faced and panic struck, she had to suppress a very un-Chloe like giggle. She became mesmerized looking at the feelings written on his face. _Shame. Panic. Fear. Surprise. And… What?_

As his eyes met hers, a flicker of recognition, and a glint of something more. She saw his eyes turn to the other faces in the room. _He looks like a cornered animal._ _Ready to flee as soon as an opening presented itself._

She smiled. Before today she had never seen Clark Kent vulnerable or scared. It felt comforting to see his softer side for once. _To see beyond the walls he had erected around himself._

Suddenly his eyes met hers again. A change came over him as he saw her smile. A lot of the tension and fear left his face. And in his eyes the flicker, the glint once again. This time she had been ready for it. Her mouth fell open as she recognized it. She had seen it a thousand times before, when he had been looking at Lana. _Affection… and Lust._

In an instant she was again feeling like a Goddess. Her mouth curved into a smile. He had feelings for her. Perhaps not as strong as with Lana, but she nonetheless felt drunk with the knowledge that they were there. She felt in control. _And practically giddy with delight, _she was forced to add

It had been a roller coaster ride. But now she was steering.

Smile turning into a grin, she studied him pointedly from top to bottom. _And a fine bottom it is…_ Every semblance of the notion that they were just friends was unceremoniously thrown out a mental window. _He's mine, whether he knows it or not. _

She saw him flinch when her gaze passed over her jacket. _Which by the way doesn't do a very good job covering him._ She definitely wasn't mad at him for taking it; the thought couldn't make itself heard over the much louder thoughts screaming that Clark was standing practically naked in front of her, and she was in control. _No not mad at all… but he didn't need to know that now, did he?_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Clark nearly panicked. _As if the room full of people weren't enough._

At first he actually had panicked, desperately seeking a way out of the mess he had gotten stuck in. And then he had looked Chloe in the eyes, the panic disappearing.

He had feared her stare more than all the others stares combined. Scared to see a something in her eyes. Something that would say "We're not friends anymore." Because, even though he stood in the center of attention, half naked, he had feared he had crossed a line with her. He had realized it when he saw her again after pulling the towel stunt. They had teased each other before, or she had teased him at least. But never like that. _And the whole date thing? What if…_

He left the question unfinished. So many things could go wrong.

He felt miserable. He had never been good at reading signs in other people. It had always been Pete that translated the looks he got from girls. What if he read too much into this? What if she didn't like him that way? _But she kissed you, _a part of him whispered. He wished he could just have some time to think. He had been shoved from disaster to disaster the whole day, and feared he had missed some vital sign in the jumble which had been his day. Above all he feared losing Chloe. If he read the signs wrong, if he put a foot wrong he might lose her forever.

All of this flew trough his mind before meeting her gaze.

Looking into Chloe's eyes his mind went blank. _She has beautiful eyes…_ and it was true Chloe's eyes had always had an almost hypnotic effect on him. When they first met he had felt his knees go weak staring into those eyes. Since then, every time he looked into them he forgot who he was. He had spent a lot of time trying to find out what color they really were, but it eluded him. They seemed to be shifting between green and a clear blue-gray.

For a moment he stood frozen staring at her. She was smiling, and in his shell shocked state, for that was how he was feeling, he smiled as well. Chloe was happy, so naturally he was too. Then reality decided to drop down on him like a ton of bricks. Panic returned. He felt ashamed of his nakedness. Afraid that he had to face the entire school wearing only a improvised loincloth.

But the edge had been blunted. Chloe was smiling at him. _And standing reeaallly close._

Suddenly it wasn't her eyes that filled his mind but rather the more feminine parts of her anatomy.

His eyes started feeling hot, but went unnoticed. He tried focusing his mind on something else. _Lana. Football. Chores. Pancakes. History. Not anything involving Best friends covered in nothing but whipped cream. _

It seemed to be working. Until he saw the predatory glint in her eyes.

Oohh shit…

R&R! I really need the motivation!

//TheUnwelcomeVisitor


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

Mrs. Chandler couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had pushed herself trough the throng of people surrounding the two people who were now the center of attention. Chloe Sullivan and Clark Kent. The Kent boy admittedly looking so fine wearing only Chloe's jacket that she forgot what she was supposed to be doing.

_You should make him put some clothes on. _The rational part of her mind supplied.

_Later. _Looking at him again she changed her mind. _Much later._

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

With a loud thump Clark backed into his now closed locker so hard he was afraid he dented it. Chloe, now grinning mischievously, sauntered towards him seductively. The scene closely mirrored their previous encounter in the Torch office. This didn't help Clark at all. Half his mind was busy remembering that particular event, while the other half was busy focusing on how sexy Chloe looked right now. This left nothing for him to actually think with. And on some level he was painfully aware of that, but unable to do anything to change it.

The instant after his back hit the locker Chloe was standing in front of him, one hand upon his chest. Standing so close in fact, that the sweet smell of her perfume, her shampoo and the smell that was just her, conspired to shut down any part of his brain still currently functioning. Her smile turned naughty, as the fingers of the hand pressed against him began tracing the muscles of his stomach and chest.

"I believe…" Her voice made him shiver, as she continued tracing his abs downwards. "…You have…" Her finger had reached his navel, circled it, and moved downwards. "…Something…" The finger was still moving downwards slowly. Which definetly wasn't good for Clark's mental health. His breathing was labored and heavy and his eyes started feeling on fire. But still he couldn't tear his eyes from Chloe's face. "…That belongs to…"Her luscious red lips seductively shaping every word, slowly dragging them out in a way that made Clark unable to focus on anything but them. "…Me."

Her finger stopped. Resting on the edge of her jacket. At most two inches away from the parts of Clark now controlling his mind. Parts that threatened to embarrass him even further if she didn't remove the finger.

He was glad she stopped_. Getting an erection while wearing practically nothing in a hallway full of people? _The prospect scared him. But a part of him was really disappointed that she hadn't gone further. _Like a couple of inches further._ The thought made shivers travel up his spine.

Grinning widely Chloe pressed downwards with the finger resting on her jacket. The jacket slowly started to slide down his hips.

Panicking he realized he stood half naked in a hallway, both hands occupied, and now the only thing covering him would in a moment not be covering him anymore.

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

For Chloe, time seemed to slow down.

As the jacket slipped downwards Chloe was shocked back into some semblance of her old self. She hadn't been thinking clearly since the moment he barged into the Torch wearing only a towel and a smile. _Well, a towel and a panicked look, in any case._

As the jacket slipped downwards Chloe realized that she was in reality ripping the clothes off one of her best friends in a public hallway. Suppressing an inner giggle, she thought; _I wonder what that will do to my reputation?_

As the jacket slipped downwards Chloe knew she couldn't let Clark down like that. Even though she really wanted the jacket off. _He's your friend! _Her mind shouted at her. _Don't do it!_

As the jacket slipped downwards Chloe heard a really naughty voice whisper inside her; _Plus,_ it added, _he's yours. You want to see him naked. But you don't want to share it. Do you?_

As the jacket slipped downwards Chloe reached out and grabbed it. And as she did she both brushed against parts of Clark she hadn't dreamed of touching. _Well, obviously __dreamed__. Just not expected._ And confirmed for herself a rumor that had been going around the girl's locker room for ages.

_Oooohhhh…_

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Mrs. Chandler heard the disappointed collective groan of every girl in Smallville High, as Chloe stopped the jackets descent. She was shocked to hear one coming from her own mouth. But not surprised.

Not for the first time she thought to herself, _You really should stop this, you know… _

But the thought changed into; _Later..._

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Clark stared. Chloe wore a look of profound shock on her face, her beautiful eyes large as…

Clark couldn't think of a word. Mainly because however shocked Chloe might be, it didn't even scratch the surface of his shock. _She just…_

Once again his mind shut down. Chloe's touch had completely crippled him. He couldn't breath, he couldn't think. He had even stopped blushing. _And now, you know, you have another reason to. And she probably knows what that reason is... Especially since she just... _

He involuntarily leaned closer to her. In fact, if she hadn't stood where she did he probably would have bent double. He didn't hear the collective groan of disappointment, as the only sound he registered was the sound of all the blood previously in his head rushed to _other_ parts of his anatomy.

And the fact her eyes now where, at most, four inches from his really kept him from collecting himself.

He felt more helpless than he ever did before, even when Lex had hit him while traveling at sixty in a Porsche. _Although the sensation kind of similar, actually… _

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Chloe stared. Clark had just leaned in closer with a look she had never seen on him before. He looked like the earth had opened and where about to swallow him. And the glint of lust she had seen before were now a raging fire. _But that just could be your reflection in his eyes, you now…_

_If this is the reaction he has on me…_ She nearly purred. She felt more in control than ever.

Leaning closer, which made him shudder and her grin, she breathed into his ear and said;

"As you can see…" Another heavy breath, this time caressing the crock of his neck. "…I can strip you at any moment…." Both the thought and his accompanying groan made her shiver all over. _I guess he's not the only one that reacts a little… _"…So, why shouldn't I?"

He actually whimpered at that. Which her body didn't let go unnoticed. _So sexy… NO! Must maintain control!_

"Please Chloe! I'll do anything!" He probably hadn't meant it to come out as a incredibly sexy groan, but… _I'll take what I can get…_

Moving both her hands from their position on the jacket she grabbed his ass pulling him against her. "Anything?" She let out as a sultry whisper, millimeters from his ear. Digging her nails into his cheeks, _Mmm…Buns of steel…, _and feeling his muscles stiffen, pressed against her. _Ok, now I'm horny._

_R&R! That's all i can say really._

_//TheUnwelcomeVisitor_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

Chloe wasn't the only one enjoying Clark's muscles tensing. As they did several girls dropped their books and Mrs. Chandler broke the pencil she had been holding. Still, the girls weren't the only ones enjoying the view. As Chloe pressed herself against him, Clark wasn't alone in trying to hide an erection any longer.

It was into this air of general hormonal hornyness Principal Kwan walked. At first he didn't believe his eyes. Then he realized that before his eyes stood the reason no classes were in progress.

_First the car and now this…_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Chloe didn't notice any of this, mainly because her mind was filled with Clark.

"Anything?" Clark giving her the entire 'show', as he had called it, filled her vision "I'll be sure to remember that." To empathize her words she brought both hands down on his fine behind. Hard.

Besides the obvious advantages of getting to finally realize a long-time dream and making him flinch at the same time, this had a surprising side effect.

He twitched. Obviously not all of him, but the part of him pressed against her stomach did. As shocked as the sensation made her, a very naughty thought made her even more shocked. She hadn't even realized she was able to connect Clark to those kinds of thoughts.

For from the dark depths of her mind a wish rose; _…A couple of inches lower and a lot harder…_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

…_A couple of inches lower and a lot harder…_

The thought echoed in Clark's mind. He dimly realized he had crossed a border of what was decent, but didn't sum up enough presence of mind to react.

The main reason for this was the fact that something inside him once again burst. As she smacked his cheeks the involuntary twitch wasn't his only reaction. The scorched concrete, which was the only sign of the usual school colors, decorating the far end of the hallway was silent witness to that.

_Clark Kent is officially freaking out…_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Throat clear. Loud.

Kwan sighed, the first two hadn't worked either.

"Ms Sullivan? Can you please let go of Mr. Kent?" That seemed to do the trick, as suddenly they let go of each other as if they had turned red-hot. Both blushing like Christmas lights.

Turning to the others he ignored groans of disappointment as the source of entertainment was disappearing. "Back to Class! Now!" pointing to the two lovebirds he said; "Not you!"

As the students shuffled out of his sight he realized that several teachers of the female profession still stood staring. Shooing them away he turned to the only other to people in the hallway.

"Mr. Kent seeing as neither the student body nor the female teachers is going to be able to work with you around…" Blushing the Kent boy squirmed and refused to meet his gaze."…I'm sending you home. But don't worry; we'll have plenty of time to discuss this in the future. Now go and change!"

Seeing him run away, presumably to change, Kwan turned to the now Tomato red girl standing squirming in the hallway.

_One down, One to go._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Chloe had never been as embarrassed as she became when she realized what she had just done in front of every student in Smallville High._ Most of the Teachers as well…_

The thought that everyone had seen where her hands had been just a minute ago really had doused the hormonal fires that clouded her mind. As a result her face felt like it was burning with shame.

Expecting angry words she was shocked as Principal Kwan smiled at her.

"You, Ms Sullivan, must be a happy woman." Not waiting for an answer he continued. "Nearly every woman in this school, sadly including the Teachers, will look at you green with envy today."

The truth of the statement hit her like a blow. A smile spreading across her face she thought; _Now everyone wants him… And He's mine… _

"Since that would obviously disturb classes I should probably send you home as well." _That's a relief…_

"But seeing you already missed a couple classes today I've decided to let you stay." Smiling innocently, as if he hadn't just doomed her to a fate worse than death, he continued. "I wouldn't want to let our new editor slip behind the rest, now would I?" Leaving her stunned he turned away. After a couple of steps he turned back. "That reminds me, I expect the new edition of the Torch on my desk in a couple of days." Grinning he added. "I hope this 'incident' doesn't change that?"

But Chloe didn't react. Her mind was firmly cemented on the fact that she had to face people after what had happened.

_Not a happy prospect…_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_R&R. Should have the next one ready soon. And probably it won't be this short..._

_//TheUnwelcomeVisitor_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

Clark paced. He had done so for an hour. Having dressed, inhumanly fast, he had super speeded home, only to face his fears head on. As soon as the rush of wind had gone a thousand what-ifs had crashed down on him.

He had no intention of hurting Chloe, ever. But he feared he would. _What if…_

The words echoed in his mind, drowning out everything else. What if Chloe didn't want this to be a date? What if she had just been teasing? What if she hadn't? What if the way she had acted was just revenge for the towel joke? Was it just a joke?

The thought that the way she'd acted hadn't meant anything to her hurt. A lot more than he had expected. And he couldn't explain why.

He couldn't stop obsessing over the things that could go wrong. And the fact that he was alone on the farm didn't help. The usual happy bustle of working, cooking and caring for the animals that had always filled the farm were gone. Replaced with a silence that threatened to drive Clark insane.

He wouldn't even mind his father turning up with a stupid mindless chore. This in itself spoke volumes about how lonely he was. And he absolutely craved his mothers company, being prepared to do almost anything to have her come up the loft stairs right now with a smile and a hug for him. _And _she_ would at least know what to do about Chloe…_

He stopped pacing. He knew he would never be able to handle people well, but he knew people who would, and could.

He picked up the phone. He had already left a dozen messages, but he really needed their help. Both of them had always helped with his Lana problems, and now he really hoped they would help with this as well.

When the dial-tone started chiming he was already pacing once again.

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Pete stopped mid sentence. He had been about to make a move on the fifth girl this month when he realized his cell phone was vibrating. He really should have turned it off for the movie they were at the moment supposed to watch in history class, but "forgot", as had the rest of class, obviously, since the movie had been interrupted by cell phones since the trailers.

_That's call number eight. He's really panicking._

The thought made him grin as he turned back towards the girl, and picked up the conversation where he had left off. As he did the lesson ended, and the girl walked off with a small smile. _Damn it! She was hot!_

_Guess I'll better go calm him down a little. _

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Lex silently cursed. His cell buzzed discreetly for what had to be the eleventh time. Unable to answer he squirmed in his seat, wishing the son of Lionel Luthor could run out of an important business meeting without explanations. Quickly finishing his part of the negotiations he shook hands and happily left the rest to the plants representatives and their legal aides.

Rushing out into the empty hallway he gestured to his bodyguards, who stood outside the door, to stay. Moving away towards the plant garage, which held his latest Ferrari, he glanced at the cell phone's display. _Six missed calls from Clark? The boy had to be neck deep in trouble…_ A look of concern fell over his face as he quickly pondered the possible scenarios. None of them were very promising. _At least it isn't terribly life threatening if he managed to call me six times…_

As he listened to Clark's pleading voice, which seemed to grow ever increasingly panicked for each message he had left, Lex look of concern left him and was replaced by a very un-Luthor-like grin.

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As Clark paced in his loft Chloe expressed her nervousness in her own way.

At the moment she sat at her desk at the Torch, furiously working on one of Pete's un-proof-read articles. He had covered one of the girl's basketball games. Or parts of it. _The parts moving around in short shorts at least…_

In some ways handling Pete's familiar lack of focus on anything not female was a blessing in disguise. Even though it made her so frustrated she nearly screamed it made her focus on something else than Clark. _Clark…_ Even to her the thought seemed dreamy.

Forcing her thoughts away from the incredibly sexy farm boy, she tried to finish the article so she could leave. _And prepare…_The task was not made easier by the fact that her hands shook uncontrollably making it hard, if not impossible, to type a coherent sentence.

The reason of her shaking stood in front of her on the desk. Empty cups. Lots of empty cups. Cups that previously contained coffee. Strong coffee. Chloe was far from a beginner at drinking coffee, but the amount of caffeine those cups had contained were enough to keep an ordinary human sleepless for the better part of a year.

Chloe sighed. She wasn't getting anywhere with the article, what with the shakes, the coffee induced squirming, the Clark induced squirming and the Clark induced daydreaming. Glancing at the desk she saw one of the great distractions lying half hidden behind a coffee stained edition of the Daily Planet. Her camera. Previously it had been the schools camera but since she put it to a slightly un-educational use she had started seeing it as hers. _I'm certainly not sharing what it contains…_

She did not in fact know what, exactly, it contained. But considering what it could contain she wasn't going to risk anything. And since she had pointed it in the direction of a stripping Clark Kent her thoughts about the possible contents made her drift off happily for several long minutes. Remembering where exactly her hands had been a couple hours ago she shuddered happily. _Maybe the coffee isn't the only reason my hands are shaking…_

As the screensaver went on she broke out of her daydreams reluctantly. Sighing again, she turned of the computer and scoped up her backpack. Quickly stuffing the camera between her books and the still wet towel monogrammed C.K. she decided that Principal Kwan could stand one dose of Pete Ross checking out the basketball team. Especially since he had been so kind as to leave her here to face the public humiliation that should have been the result of her actions.

The crucial part was 'Should have'. She had been expecting mocking laughter and pointing fingers. Truthfully, she had to admit she cringed when she had entered the classroom right after the 'incident' with Clark. She nearly fainted when the entire class had turned towards her. Shocked she had realized they were smiling at her. Not mockingly either. Happy smiles and envy in the eyes of the girls. And some of the teachers too. At lunch she had been shocked, seemingly the entire school smiled with her, happy for her. But not with Clark. At him they laughed. Loudly and mockingly.

As Lana had stepped up to her as she entered the cafeteria she was delirious with joy. Lana had hugged her and led her to the cheerleaders table. The sense of delirium had not left her, not only were she going out with Clark Kent, the man of her dreams, but for the day she had become popular. Sitting there exchanging giggles and whispers with Lana across a seemingly edible meal she couldn't decide what felt best, the happy smiles of everyone around her or the jealous looks of the half dozen cheerleaders at the table.

Of course not everyone looked as happy as she felt, and she had to endure a lot of jealous and angry stares. But no one had taken it farther, partly because even if she was dating Clark Kent she wasn't important enough to make a scene in the cafeteria worth it. And partly because both Lana Lang and Pete Ross had spent the day running interference, stopping the exceptions before they could sully her perfect day.

Shaking herself back into the present she checked her watch for the umpteenth time since Lana had stuck her head trough the door. She had offered to help her with the preparations later, if Chloe could rip herself away from the Torch.

Still only less than fifteen minutes ago.

_I'll wait another fifteen._

Exactly four minutes and twelve seconds later the Torch stood empty and dark behind her.

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Clark stopped pacing. A small sound had woken him from his contemplations. Someone was coming up the Kent driveway. And in the distance he heard the muffled roar of one of Lex insanely expensive cars.

_Thank God!_

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Lex slowed down as he turned into the gravel path towards the Kent farm. As always the sights and sounds of this small corner of rural Kansas, eased his fears, relieved the tensions he always carried with him, made him smile. It let him drop the mask he had to wear everyday and let him be himself. _It's like my own version of the Garden of Eden..._ Pulling up next to the barn door entrance he heard a voice calling out behind him.

"Nice car, Luthor!"

The voice of Peter Ross took him a little of guard. Peter Ross hated him and didn't speak to a Luthor if someone, Clark, didn't force him to. But still the boy walked up to him smiling as he got out of the car. Deciding not to push it he smiled uncertainly and answered with;

"Thanks. But if I may ask, why the smiling face? You usually look at me as if I forgot to comb over the horns." Dragging his hand across his bare scalp he looked hopefully at the boy. As Peter's smile grew into a grin at the joke he thought; _Score one Luthor. I'll make this kid like me if I have _buy _him a car myself._

As the boy reached the entrance he turned to Lex and said; "My man's got a date"

Lex had guessed as much from the panicked messages but it still felt good to confirm it._ Looks like he decided to go after that Lana chick without my help. Never would have guessed._

"With Chloe Sullivan!" Peter said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Lex stopped dead in his tracks.

"What?"

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Clark waited nervously at the top of the stairs. _Why don't they come up?_

Then he heard raised voices downstairs. He immediately remembered that those two weren't really the best of friends. _Please God don't let them start fighting! I need their help!_

As they had done before his prayers went unanswered as he heard the heated exchange of words continue. Running down the steps two at the time he came to a halt at the bottom step.

He had just heard what they were saying.

"-and then he ran of wearing only a towel. And the look on his face! I tell you if there is only one thing everyone should see before they die, it definitely is a panicked Clark Kent realizing he has to run trough school-". Pete's voice explained joyously.

_I think I would prefer them fighting…_

"- face was so red you could have thought he was going to explode!" Lex Luthor, Billionaire heir, unofficially seen as something like the Prince Of Darkness by a lot off the people he worked with, apparently couldn't stand up, since he lay, roaring with laughter in a very Un-Lex-Like way, in a pile of fresh hay.

_At least _they_ are happy…_

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Ten minutes later Clark felt he really had to cut into the story.

"-and then he looks down and realizes he's covering himself with-"

"I kind of dragged you over 'cause I need your help. Not because I wanted you to laugh at my misery." Clark said in a hurt voice, as he stepped out into the sunlight coming trough the open doors. The story wasn't to pleasant to listen to, especially while having to listened to Lex disbelieving questions and the full audio commentary Pete supplied them with.

Both his friends looked over at him as if they hadn't seen him before. _They probably hadn't…They were obviously far too busy making fun of you…_

Lex was the first one to react, brushing himself off and taking a seat on some tarpaulin covered farm equipment.

"Clark, however glad I am that you finally decided to show up, I really want to hear the rest of the sto-"

"Later! Please!" Clark practically yelled.

His friends stopped smiling. They had heard the unspoken panic in his voice.

"Clark? This really isn't about what you should wear, is it?" Pete said. Neither of them had seen this side of Clark before.

"No." Clark whispered, shoulders slumped, looking so scared and dejected it scared the others. He looked scared and almost defeated in a hard to explain kind of way. Lex hadn't seen those qualities in his eyes even when he had found nearly naked hanging crucified in the cornfield, slowly freezing to death. Then he had looked defiant and proud, reminding him of a caged lion his father had shown him in Africa. Now he reminded him of the same lion, as it laid, spirit broken, in its small cage several months later.

_What had happened to him to make him behave like this?_

"Clark, what's the problem? You can tell us…" Lifting his hand to his shoulder he saw Peter mirror him on Clark's other side. "… We're your friends."

"It isn't a date" The words came out as a whisper so low that Lex thought he wouldn't have heard it if he hadn't stood at an arms length from him.

"What! But you…She… We made you…" Pete trailed off shocked. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. _I heard them…I saw them… How could it not be?_

"But Peter-"Lex began.

"Pete" Pete corrected automatically.

"But Pete said…" Lex trailed off. "How? Why not? You said it your self, didn't you?"

Clark's shoulders fell. "Yes…No. I don't know." He shock off their hands and turned away. "I didn't mean it like that… I mean… I meant it like 'I'll see you then'… But she looked so…" Sighing he finished. "I just couldn't think clearly." Leaning his forehead against the wall, he breathed out heavily.

Lex thought he saw the outlines of the problem.

"So not a date?" No visible reaction from Clark. "Do you want it to be?" He saw Pete hold his breath. _He knows something I don't…_

Clark flinched and turned around.

"She's my best friend!" He exclaimed with a look of disbelieving shock.

"So?" Lex stare left no doubt. That answer was not good enough.

"I…Don't know…"He turned back to the wall."….Yes." The last word nearly a whisper.

The answered shocked him. He hadn't meant to say it. He hadn't even been sure if he wanted to answer.

But he knew it was true.

"Yes." He said in a clear voice. He straightened and turned towards the others._ Did Pete look relieved?_

Lex smiled. He saw that Clark hadn't been sure before the question was in the air. He continued; "So? Make a date of it then!" _There, problem solved…_

Clark's shoulders fell again.

"What if she doesn't want it to be?" he said in a small voice. Clark felt the weight of his problems increase tenfold. This was the heart of the problem. "What if I go there for a date and she expects a friend? What if she wants a date and I wander in as her friend?" He turned to the wall frustrated. Lashing out blindly, he had barely enough presence of mind to stop himself from punching trough the four inch thick support beam like it had been a sheet of marshmallow fluff . As it was he still left knuckle marks in the wood. "Whatever I decide to do it could end up ruining our friendship. And I can't lose her!"

Clark didn't realize how forceful the last sentence sounded, but his two friends shared a meaningful look. It was obvious Clark had feelings for the girl.

"She hasn't given you any signs?" Lex asked, not hoping for much. He knew Clark and he wasn't good at spotting signs, even if they were, metaphorically twelve-foot Neon signs. _She could probably undress him without him realizing she felt anything. _Lex thought bitterly, he had seen how Clark looked at Lana._ Like she's the only other living thing in the universe._

"No." Clark answered quickly. But he hesitated. He had seen some things, even before today, but he had written it of as ordinary Best-Friend-Who-Happens-To-Be-A-Girl stuff. And since he had no idea how those usually acted, only having Chloe, and Chloe being kind of unique even then… And today? Today was an exception, he decided. So some signs? Sure. But Chloe like-liking him? That would be as unexpected as if Pete started flirting with him.

"I love you man." Pete said smiling. _Was Clark looking at him strangely? " _But she practically ripped your clothes off!"

"What!" Lex nearly choked._ Guess I was right…_

"I didn't get that far along in the story." Pete said smiling at Lex stricken expression. Clark just stood there blushing.

"So there's more? I thought it ended with, you know… Running naked trough Smallville High." Lex looked confused.

"That's not even half of it." Pete said wiggling his eyebrows with a huge grin.

Clark just blushed even redder.

Lex smiled. "Well, it seems she gave you a clue at least. Because, in case you didn't know, ripping the clothes of people is often a sign of some kind of feelings." Clark didn't meet his gaze. Chuckling, he couldn't resist adding; "Not necessarily affection, sadly." As Clark's face shot up, Lex winked. This, as planned, made Clark blush even more intensely.

Clark gathered himself with an effort of will. Making his way to the stairs he sat down on the second step.

"Well, even if you both seem to think I'm pretty slow…" He was a bit disappointed when they both nodded, synchronized in their agreement. _The first time they agree about anything and it's this?_ He thought a little sarcastically. "…I actually realized she was 'ripping my clothes off' as you put it." He was proud of himself for not drifting off to think about Chloe after that thought. _Well…not for long anyway_. "But you don't know the whole story." He squirmed. He didn't really want to tell them about what happened in the Torch office.

"What happened?" Neither Lex nor Pete realized how close they mirrored each other as they both leaned closer to hear Clark's version of the story.

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"Chloe!" Lana's voice rang out in the empty hallway. She smiled and moved in closer to her blond, obviously feeling the consequences of several gallons of coffee, brand new, friend.

"I'm actually impressed…" Looking at her watch she continued; "…twenty-five minutes. Most girls I know wouldn't last fifteen waiting for their first date. Especially not one with Clark Kent."

Chloe gave her a huge smile, not wanting her to know she had prowled the halls looking for her for at least ten minutes. She realized that she couldn't have stopped herself smiling even if she wanted. _I have a date with Clark Kent…_

Lana giggled as she took Chloe's arm and led her out of the school. _The girl's practically skipping…I wonder if I looked like this the first time Whitney asked me out?_

Looking at Chloe's expression, the mix off coffee and Clark Kent painting a picture off joyous excitement.

_Probably not __That_ _happy…_

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R&R! This was a lot longer then the other ones, but I will probably not finish the next one for a while... So be happy with what you get!

//TheUnwelcomeVisitor


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

In a hotel room in Metropolis Martha Kent listened to the dial tone. She had tried calling her son for the last twenty-five minutes, but no one had answered. She knew he would just now be arriving home from school on an ordinary day but her maternal instincts told her something was wrong.

Finally giving up the attempts to contact Clark, she sighed and leaned back onto the bed.

At the same time Jonathan Kent walked out of the hotel bathroom, still wet from the shower.

Seeing the concerned expression on his wife face he knelt by the bed and took her hand.

"Honey, what's wrong?" He asked a little worried.

"Clark won't answer the phone." Jonathan immediately relaxed.

"Martha… Don't worry. He can look after himself you know."

"I know… it's just that…" She trailed off. "It feels like something's wrong."

Jonathan sighed. He knew his wife was a worrier, always fearing the worst. He idly wondered if all women were like that or if it was just her. Remembering his own mothers worrying manner, he realized it was probably not only Martha after all.

Martha rose up on one elbow and leaned in closer to his face. Seeing as the only thing she was wearing was a bed sheet draped around her like a toga this made strange things happen to Jonathan's concentration. For one thing he definitely stopped thinking about his mother.

On the other hand he stopped thinking at all.

"Do you think we could leave for home a little early?" Martha asked silently, looking up from under her eyelashes in an incredibly seductive manner, as she swept her ruffled unkempt hair from her face. Remembering how it got ruffled Jonathan swallowed loudly.

"Yes." Jonathan answered without thinking, he couldn't tell her no on anything when she looked like that. Several seconds later he groaned as he realized what he had agreed to. He had really looked forward to the romantic dinner they planned._ And even more to my "dessert"…_

Smiling Martha said; "I'm sorry, I know you looked forward to…" A significant pause." … dinner." Her naughty smile made her look like a teenager again, as well as conveying the fact that dinner was definitely not what she had in mind.

Slipping his arms around her, and hugging her to his chest, he chuckled. "Yeah you know I kind of did, actually." Kissing her forehead he added; "But I want your attention focused on me, not worrying about our son. So I guess we leave after dinner?" _But before "dessert"…damn…_

As his wife nodded against his chest, he chuckled softly. "Still, if it would have been anything like yesterday…" _Yesterday was a good day…_"I doubt I would have survived." _A very good day indeed…_Seeing her face turn upwards, he added; "I'm not twenty anymore you know." _Probably wouldn't have mattered if I had been…it had been a very good day indeed._

Grinning naughtily Martha quipped; "Really… I didn't notice yesterday." Tracing his cheek with a finger she leaned in and kissed him lightly. "I wondered if I would have to fake a heart attack to stop you." Leaning in she kissed him a lot more thoroughly, which made parts of him feel like he was twenty again. At least they did after his breathing had returned to normal and he could form a coherent thought again, before that he had trouble feeling anything but her body pressed to his. It also made him realize he was only dressed in his underwear, and more importantly, his incredibly beautiful and sexy wife wasn't wearing anything.

He also realized that dinner wasn't due to happen for at least a couple of hours.

"That's not true, Mrs. Kent. You definitely didn't want me to stop." Kissing her until he left her breathless and panting, he grinned. "And you know…if I acted like a love-crazed teenager we both know that's your fault." As she looked at him, surprised and a little confused, he continued; "Yes, yours. You have to realize that when a man has such a beautiful women at his side some things are expected of him."

"So I'm just another chore, huh?" She managed to keep up the hurt look for a couple of seconds; as his hands were no longer on her shoulders but wandering down underneath her makeshift toga.

Jonathan drew back a couple of inches and looked at his wife. _You have never been further from the truth…_

But as there are some things that have to be said, no matter how far from the truth they really are, that was not what he said. Instead he said; "Yes." In a clear, at least outwardly serious voice.

Looking at her sudden You-Are-So-Dead-Stare he added; "One of the more pleasant ones..." Her face relaxed. "…Probably somewhere between painting fences and feeding the cows." As she regained the killing gaze he smiled, he didn't get to tease her nearly enough for his liking.

"Jonathan Kent! You did not just say that!" Martha nearly screamed at him, struggling to either escape his embrace or strangle him to death.

"You know, I'm very glad I decided to grab your arms just now." He then started kissing her neck and shoulders until she stopped struggling.

Grinning widely he whispered softly; "You know… I haven't done my chores today…"

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I know this is more like an interlude than a full chapter, but I felt like I had to post something, since I got more than a couple reviews lately, and the next chapter isn't exactly ready … Creative dry streak…

Well… R&R!

//TheUnwelcomeVisitor


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9.

"And then I took a swan dive out the window and ran away." Clark finished, face red as a tomato.

Both his friends stood there silent, expressionless. And the silence grew. And grew. And grew. It was Pete that finally broke it.

"So that's why you…"

"Yes." Clark cut in.

"But…why? What could possibly spur you to…?" Lex looked nothing if not confused.

"I don't know… I just needed to…get the upper hand for once." Clark finished lamely. He himself wasn't sure what had happened in the moment he decided to retaliate against Chloe. Some parts of him wondered if it could be connected to his unique biology. _After all, since I'm pretty invincible I don't really need any sense of self-preservation, do I?_

Suddenly the train of thought that ran in Lex's mind stopped and he realized he could make out the general shape of the problem. _Seems I should be happy I left my teen years behind…I don't remember ever having these kinds of problems…I guess Clark's special in more ways than I thought._

"So, let's see if I've got this straight. You're afraid you will screw up since you don't know whether Chloe wants to date you or not. And since you… well let's just say your actions today made it a little harder reading potential signs. Especially the ones she gave you afterwards…"_ Like ripping your clothes of in a crowded hallway…_Lex realized he really wanted to hear how that happened."…since those could be parts of an elaborate revenge for a… taunt that definitely crossed some borders of what was decent between friends." Waiting for Clark to nod he let his face harden into a serious frown. "You're doomed." Winking at Pete who stood open mouthed next to them he gave Clark an exaggerated shrug, and finished with; "Sorry."

Letting the statement hang in the air for the right dramatic effect, Lex waited before finally breaking the silence. Face and voice serious, he nudged Clark's shoulder for attention before speaking.

"Clark, look at me. Take a deep breath. You're panicking, and it isn't really helping." Clark complied with the requests, visibly confused, and after a while, as he began to calm down, Lex continued.

"Think for a minute. What could happen that you are so afraid of?" Immediately Clark's mind filled with visions of Chloe screaming at him, crying and cutting the bonds of friendship for ever, and his breathing quickened. "No Clark, think!" Lex cut off his worrying.

"Worst case scenario? You guess her intentions wrong. And then what happens?" Lex questioned calmly. Clark kept silent, mind racing. Raising his index finger, waving it in Clarks face, Lex continued.

"Scenario one. You show up date-ready, and she doesn't. Either you pretend it's nothing and it goes unnoticed, or you screw up and she laughs at you. You go home disappointed; Pete and Me, we laugh at you. Everybody gets a good laugh at your expense, but after today that probably doesn't mean much." Clark listened intently, not wanting to miss a word. Even Pete had his full attention directed at Lex. Raising another finger he kept talking.

"Scenario two. You show up as you always do. She doesn't. No lies can save you then. Either she makes a fool out of herself or you manage to do that, depending on how things go. Either way you go home disappointed." _Having hurt her…_The words hung unsaid in the air. They weren't needed to be said, everybody was already thinking them.

Clark didn't need to think about his options anymore. He was already decided. A weight had been lifted of his chest and he could once again breathe freely. There was no choice. Nowhere in any world, not even in the remotest of alternate universes, existed a Clark Kent who would choose the second option.

It was decided, and as he realized that, all his worries and what-ifs disappeared. He would suffer through any embarrassment and ridicule to save Chloe from getting hurt in any way.

_And at least it can't really be worse than it was today…_ The thought made him rather happy.

The worst was behind him, and he couldn't help but feel relieved.

"I guess I need a little help with my outfit then." Clark said, suddenly smiling from ear to ear.

Neither of his friends acted surprised. They had both seen it coming; as they had seen him realize Chloe only got hurt in one scenario. And they both knew him to good to even contemplate him choosing the other option.

"Let's go!" Clark was already halfway trough the barn door. As his friends acted as if to follow him he suddenly stopped, hesitating, one foot outside. Without turning he whispered insecurely over his shoulder;

"But if she laughs at me… and…and decides she can't be my friend any longer? Gets weirded out by me trying to date her? Then I lose my best friend." Clark tried, unsuccessfully, to convey the full sense of insecurity threatening to drag him back into panic.

"Don't worry. If she does, I have a plan." Pete said as he walked up and patted his back.

_But she won't…She wouldn't let you go if you were white-hot…_

"You have?" Clark felt relieved by that statement alone. "You're going to share it?"

"We blame it all on Lex." Pete said, grinning widely once again.

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"Do you have an outfit ready?" Lana asked the fretting Chloe as she paced the confines of her room. Lana had started worrying about the petite blond before she had realized Chloe had drunk at least… Well, God knew how much coffee. Now, sitting comfortably on Chloe's unmade bed, she tried to do a mental list of everything that needed to be done. _Outfit, Makeup, The Girl Talk and then, if there's time and even if there isn't, a quick look at the contents of her camera…_

"I had one… but after today…" Chloe trailed off, but Lana realized what she was thinking. _You want him remembering today because of the date, not because everything else…_

Not an easy task. Lana wondered if it even was possible, seeing as running half naked in front of an entire school probably would leave an impression.

"I see…So what did you have in mind?" Lana asked curiously. As head cheerleader and role model for the entire Smallville girl population, at least that was what her aunt Nell seemed to think, she had to dress a certain way and had always been a little envious at Chloe's ability to wear anything she wanted.

What Chloe had in mind turned out to be a lot.

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"This is everything?" Lex asked, tossing yet another flannel shirt over his shoulder.

The three friends had spent most of the remainder of the early afternoon searching trough Clark's closet. And it had done them no good.

"Did she have to say no flannel? If she hadn't this wouldn't be such a problem." Pete's voice was a little muffled since Lex had, entirely without meaning to, surely, with great precision landed the thrown flannel on his face. Ripping the shirt away just in time to miss Lex amused smile, Pete continued; "As it is… we definitely have a problem."

Clark pulled out a rather nice shirt from the pile of clothing covering his bedroom floor only to find it at least two sizes to small. Sighing he sat back on his bed, wanting nothing more than to bury his face in his hands and despair.

Lex just stood, looking thoughtful, staring out the window. After a while a grin started spreading across his face. Finally unfreezing from his statue-like stillness, he flipped open his cell phone and started dialing a number. Raising it to his ear he started making his way to the door, stepping over piles of discarded flannel in the process.

"Come on. We'll have to take your car, Clark." Lex said before disappearing towards the stairs.

"What? Why?" Clark managed rising from the bed in confusion.

"Because mine haven't got a backseat, and I don't think Pete would like to share a seat with the prince of darkness." Lex joked, his answer muffled coming from downstairs.

Clark and Pete shared a confused look before rushing after the disappearing Lex.

Outside, Lex finally got through to the person he had been calling.

"Darius, is the meeting finished? Good. Tell the plant manager I will listen to his full report on the proceedings later. Then meet me at the manor. No, outside the east wing. Servants entrance, yes. And Darius? Bring your key. We are going to need access to your closet."

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"Wow." The one syllable was everything Lana managed to articulate.

After a couple of hours of trying out and discarding outfits they had found the perfect one. The one Chloe had on standing in front of a full length mirror. The one that made Lana unbelievably jealous. _She shouldn't be allowed to look that good…_

As she heard her, Chloe turned around, a question plainly written across her face. _How do I look?_ Lana felt a pang of guilt as she pondered lying and telling her to change into something else. _If she wears that there's not a guy in Smallville that wouldn't stare, or drool, as she passed…_

Pushing the jealousy away, she instead looked Chloe up and down.

Wearing a simple dark green top, that showed just the right amount of cleavage to leave a guy incoherent without killing him outright, Chloe looked stunning. Letting her gaze drop Lana sighed. The black shirt fell loosely across Chloe's hips, barely hinting at her curves, and came to rest a couple of inches above the knee. Nothing to revealing…But when she moved… the shirt didn't seem to weight anything at all, flaring up and showing a lot of leg. Coupled with a pair of knee high black boots stunning wasn't adequate description anymore.

"You look great." Lana said truthfully. Seeing Chloe's insecure gaze, she continued; "If Clark doesn't die of shock immediately, I promise you he will remember that outfit for as long as he lives." _And if he does die he'll at least die happy…_

Chloe beamed happily at her before turning back to study herself in the mirror. Lana just sighed again. She had been happy to finally befriend the blond girl she saw hanging around with Clark nearly everyday. But she wasn't sure she was so happy to get some competition for her place as the most attractive girl in Smallville High.

_At least the outfit is a check…_

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"I look like an idiot… None of these even fit me!" Clark exclaimed gesturing at the clothes he wore. Both Pete and Lex rolled their eyes at this. Clark was obviously feeling insecure; as he had said the same thing everytime he had tried anything at all. But this time he didn't sound as confident as he had, and he still stood examining his reflection in the mirror.

Standing in a pile of discarded clothing he managed to look much more than simply presentable in his borrowed outfit. As was made obvious by the admiring glances of the mansions entire female staff, which was now busy, not working, but by peering around the doorframe, their attention solely focused on the rather stunning farm boy.

Both Lex and Pete had shared amused looks at the uninvited audience, and Lex had surprised his bodyguard, Darius, by betting ten bucks on whether or not Clark would actually notice them. To Darius it had seemed as unsettling as seeing the boyish grin on his employers face as he had entered the mansion, or the fact that he had walked in with an arm around Peter Ross shoulders, apparently laughing at something the boy had said. But when you worked for a Luthor different wasn't always bad, in fact it probably couldn't mean anything but an improvement, as several years under Lionel Luthor had made painfully clear. That was why he had a very personal interest in whether Clark turned around now or not. Ten bucks wasn't really much, but winning a bet, anything really, when your opponent was Lex Luthor? Priceless.

His happiness hadn't even diminished as Pete declined to bet. Pete laughing at him for twenty seconds straight was another matter…

When Clark had managed to strip to the waist in full view of everyone he had felt sure he had to win. As the shirt came of an amazed gasp rose from the collective throat of the female audience and Darius had almost felt the ten bucks in his hand already. But the boy had been as oblivious to that as he had been to the stares. _Well, I'm still going home a little richer tonight…_ The ten bucks wouldn't even dent the pile of cash he had got for the contents of his closet.

"Okay… I kind of like these…" Clark said hesitantly as he turned around. Wearing a collection of Darius and Lex own clothing he managed to look as if he actually knew what he was doing dressing himself. And it definitely wasn't flannel.

Wearing a pair of dark denim jeans and a navy blue jacket, since Chloe had once, embarrassed, admitted she liked him in blue, and he certainly didn't look like he wore borrowed clothing. In fact the only thing that didn't fit like it should was the plain white t-shirt that was so tight it looked like a second skin. Clark hadn't really like how exposed it made him feel, but he didn't really have a choice. All Darius shirts were made to fit someone with little wider waistline than he had all they had to choose from were Lex own clothes, which thankfully nearly fitted him. And, of course, unbeknownst to him, the t-shirt were very popular with the ladies, as the sharp intake of breath when he put it on could have decided the bet in Darius favor if Clark hadn't been to occupied blushing to notice.

"Finally!" both Pete and Lex exclaimed in unison.

"Here!" Lex said as he threw him a towel." The bathrooms upstairs. Hurry, we don't want you to smell of Cow dung on your date, would we?"

"I smell?" Clark asked. He definitely didn't want to smell like dung.

"Not more than usual. Which is why you should probably shower twice." Pete quipped.

"The shoes will wait for you here. Now run!" Lex finished, then turning to Pete. "And now I would really like to hear the rest of the story."

It was then Clark realized he really wouldn't like to stay in the room while Pete entertained Lex curiosity. He had enough of that in the barn. Quickly leaving the room trough the door where his former audience completely failed to be, he tried outrunning the laughter without resorting to super speed.

The shoes had turned out to be a big problem. Not many people tended to walk around with feet Clarks size. At first it had seemed Clark was doomed to show up wearing his usual crap kickers, but Lex hadn't given up. After a complete search of the mansion he had turned out a gardener with the same size as Clark. And a pair of fairly new sneakers. He didn't anymore, as Lex had bought them for ten times their actual worth.

As Clark rushed trough the halls towards the stairs, past what seemed to be every women in the Luthor mansion, all of them looking very busy. _I wonder what the chef is doing here?_

Clark shook his head and dismissed the thought. He didn't notice that every head turned to follow his way down the hall. Neither did he notice the hungry stares. It was probably for the best.

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R&R! Next one should be up in... whenever I manage to finish...

//TheUnwelcomeVisitor


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10.

"But what if he doesn't like me? I mean like me in that way? What if he gets freaked out and doesn't want to see me anymore?" Even as she said it Chloe could feel her voice growing smaller and more insecure.

Sitting cross-legged on her bed in front of Lana, freshly showered, changed into her date wear and smelling of perfume, she felt insecure. It had been several hours since she had seen Clark, and now there had been time to think. This in turn had meant there had been time to worry.

Lana calmly applied a last dab of makeup on Chloe's face, leaned back, and admired her work. Nodding to herself she gave no outward sign of even noticing the nervous questions.

Chloe looked absolutely stunning, Lana admitted to herself with a little pride.

As Chloe repeated her questions, Lana shook her head and focused once again on the task at hand._ Outfit, Check. Hair, Check. Makeup, Check. Confidence…I'm working on it._ Lana thought as she searched for a way to begin the You-Are-Beautiful-He'll-Love-You-Speech she had been dreading the whole afternoon. In her mind there were no doubts that Clark had feelings beyond friendship for the blonde girl. But Chloe failed to see it. But to be fair, so did Clark.

But how to explain it to Chloe, how could she ease the fears and make her see the truth? Not for the first time since she realized it fell on her to solve that problem, she wished she had Chloe's quick mind and ability with words. If the roles had been reversed she knew beyond a doubt that Chloe would know what to say.

In her mind, Lana had tried every possible scenario, tested every soothing word and supporting platitude. And found them sorely lacking, as even in her mind they sounded empty and false. She had to be creative to solve this, and she needed time, time she didn't have.

Desperately stalling for the time she needed to think, Lana glanced at her watch as she opened her mouth to say something soothing. What managed to come from her mouth was something more of a half strangled squeak.

"Chloe, Time!" Looking at Chloe's uncomprehending face Lana managed to clarify her outburst. "You should have left two minutes ago! It's time!"

As Chloe scrambled out of bed, Lana felt more than relieved that she hadn't been forced to mouth the clumsy cliché she had been about to speak. Quickly grabbing her backpack and picking her stuff from the unmade bed she followed Chloe down the stairs.

As Chloe ran down the stairs, calling for her dad, Lana hovered at her side whispering calming words and reassurances.

Thinking fast Lana tried to find the words that had eluded her as they made their way to the car, Chloe still visibly nervous. As Chloe opened the passenger side door she blurted out;

"Friends-card."

"What?" Chloe turned around, a look of confusion on her face.

"If everything doesn't work out, if he never wants to see you again…" Chloe's face fell just by hearing it mentioned. "We'll pull the Friends-card." Speeding up so her speech was nearing gibberish Lana continued. She really wanted this of her shoulders. "It's not like your not friends now, right? I mean it will be uncomfortable meeting him in the hallway and there will be a lot of awkward silences and strange looks at the Torch, but you won't really have lost anything. And in a couple of months…" Lana could feel herself rambling, but she needed to get it said, even if she hopelessly mangled the message as she did.

"It will be as if nothing happened?" Chloe said in a small voice.

"…We'll try again." Lana could feel the tension easing as she said it.

Chloe's face lit up in a grin. It was obvious to her that she had made a new friend in Lana Lang. And, as she had said, she wouldn't lose anything by trying. Spirits lifted she sat down in the seat next to her father, who was busy trying to study the interior roof of the car, visibly not in the least interested in hearing what they were talking about.

The moment before the car door closed behind Chloe, Lana managed to grab it. Bending down to look Chloe in the face she said with great feeling;

"Please. Don't wear that outfit in front of Whitney. Okay?"

And as she saw the smile on Chloe's face Lana thought to herself; _Confidence, Check._

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The Kent farm lay deserted. Only a single light in the kitchen was lit, illuminating the porch, but leaving the rest of the yard in early twilight darkness.

The weak light also illuminated the solitary figure standing on the porch steps. The obviously female figure of Chloe Sullivan. The visibly nervous figure of Chloe Sullivan.

She had stood staring at the Kent's door mat for several minutes not daring to move, all her courage drained. Glancing back to where her father stood leaning against the car door, she summoned the remnants of her resolve and rang the doorbell.

The simple chiming disturbed the calm evening for a moment before stopping, leaving the night once again silent.

No reaction from the occupants.

Which meant Chloe had plenty of time fretting. The sense of being in control had been drained by the hours since she had seen Clark. _What if this ruins our friendship? What if he thinks I'm ugly? What if he's not home? What if…_

Desperately trying to remember what Lana had been saying earlier, she fought to suppress the rising tide of panic.

Taking deep breaths and trying to recreate the glorious feelings of the earlier day she stepped up to the doorbell once again. Only to hear the porch stairs creak behind her as someone started making his way up the stairs.

Turning around uncertainly, expecting to find her father had tired of waiting, she were nearly knocked of her feet in surprise.

_Oooohhhh._

_----------------------------------------_

The Kent farm lay deserted. Only a single light in the kitchen was lit, illuminating the porch, but leaving the rest of the yard in early twilight darkness.

The weak light failed to illuminate the solitary figure walking up the Kent farm driveway. The rather impressive six foot figure of Clark Kent. The obviously nervous figure of Clark Kent.

Since the second his new sneakers had touched the gravel of the familiar driveway he had stood unmoving. Lex had managed to drag him, still wet from the shower, into his new clothes and into one of Lex's own limos. Speeding towards the Kent farm they had dropped Pete off on the way, something which Clark personally was somewhat relieved by, since Pete had entertained both Lex and Darius by repeating the especially captivating parts of the earlier day. No matter how happy he was that his friends suddenly decided to start liking each other he felt that there was a limit to the number of times he could see both of them break down laughing at him. Darius, in place of the ordinary chauffeur had broken several speed limits just to arrive the Kent farm in time to see Gabe Sullivan beating them to the farm, at most only seconds ahead of them.

Lex had ordered Darius to stop just out of sight, deciding to drop Clark of rather than driving up next to Gabe. It was reasoned Gabe wouldn't really appreciate his boss being involved in his daughter's social life to that degree that he would show up chauffeuring her dates.

The next problem for the night was a little more awkward. Stepping out of the limo's backseat Clark had realized he had forgot his wallet. He swallowed heavily. His father had tried to drill into him not to accept money from Lex Luthor, something Clark often had no reason to complain about, since he always felt a little embarrassed when Lex tried to buy him stuff. It always felt like he tried to buy Clark's friendship. But it didn't matter now, because there were no chance he would show up tonight without money. In his mind it was a date no matter what Chloe thought about it, and he didn't want to let her pay.

Patting his pockets theatrically he turned towards Lex and opened his mouth to speak.

"Could you…" He didn't manage to get out another word before something bounced of his chest. Managing to catch it before it hit the ground, he realized it was Lex money clip. There were several signs of this, the main ones being the familiar Luthorcorp logo, the engraved word "Luthor" in the bright silver and the fact it contained more money than any wallet of Clark's ever had.

"This must be at least eight hundred bucks!" Clark said eyes wide. He couldn't remember the last time he had that amount of cash in his hands. It wasn't that the Kent's were poor as such, but the money they had was securely in the bank or in the hands of his parents. To have several hundred dollars dropped in his lap felt somehow unreal.

"Oh, I would be surprised if it was so little." Lex calmly stated, smiling at the incredulous expression on is young friends face. "And before you say something, No I won't take it back and No you will not pay me back either."

"Lex, I can't take this! You shouldn't have to buy my friendship!" Clark said sincerely. Lex was one of his friends, with money or without.

"Well in that case I'll settle for leasing it." Lex joked. "But this is probably not the time to discuss the details of the contract since your lady is waiting." He continued, effortlessly defusing a possibly strenuous situation as well as changing the subject.

Immediately Clark turned to the distant Kent farm, trying to make out shapes and find the figure of someone in particular. Chloe.

"And Clark?" Lex said behind him. "Try not to screw up." Clark merely waved meekly as Lex shut the door, his mind on different matters entirely.

As the door closed and before the limo's engine started Clark could swear he heard Lex voice talking to Darius. "I believe there was a matter of the ten bucks?" But the words barely registered in his mind. As he was walking towards the Kent farm, throat tight and a stomach which seemed to have turned to lead, he felt like a condemned man climbing the gallows steps. Good or bad, he was walking towards his doom.

---------------------------------------------

"Mr Sullivan, Sir." Clark greeted Chloe's father as he turned towards him, alerted by the sounds of the gravel shifting under Clark's heavy footfalls.

"Good evening, Clark." Gabe answered. "But for the thousand time, don't call me sir. It makes me feel old." As he greeted the boy Gabe couldn't help but noticing Clark's nervous expression and the lack of flannel. Not knowing what had passed between his daughter and her obviously male friend earlier today he couldn't guess what had changed or why. He had known about Chloe's crush on Clark for so long he had stopped noticing it. But he had definitely noticed his daughter's strange behavior earlier and the presence of the brown haired girl which he had never seen before. As of their conversation? He had managed to block that out. Some things no father should be forced to hear his daughter talk about. As it was he had some idea about how his girl felt about Clark, and none about how he felt for her.

"But what are you doing down here? Chloe is already at the door." Seeing Clark's expression change at the mention of his daughters name Gabe was convinced there were some feelings in Clark too. Which led to decidedly mixed emotions. Of course he was happy for his daughter when she seemed to catch the boy of her dreams. But as a father the paternal urges to protect her made him wish she never would get closer than sixteen feet to a boy.

Seeing Clark's uneasy expression he sighed. Patting Clark on the shoulder he said; "Don't just stand here, son. It's starting to get cold." _Well, it could be worse. It could have been someone I've seen on Springer._

_-----------------------------------------_

The friendly words shock Clark out of the worried daze he had been trapped in. This was the moment of truth. He would know if everything had just been a joke, if she didn't feel like that about him, if he had made a mistake getting his hopes up.

Climbing the porch steps slowly, he fought the rising panic and worry. For as long as he could remember he had only thought about one girl with any romantic notion in mind. Lana Lang. But for the past ten hours another girl had taken Lana's place, blond locks replacing raven hair. And it scared him. Since the moment Chloe and he had met he had felt nothing but friendship for her. And still the thoughts of her in a more romantic context felt right, almost familiar. It was as if he always had them but his infatuation with Lana hadn't allowed them out into the light.

Letting his gaze fall on her silhuette, the light being right behind her he couldn't see her features or her clothing, all he could see was the general shape of her, outlined in the soft light. And still his breath caught. Just the reminder of her beauty was enough to stop him in his tracks. Trough the haze of worry and confusion a small part of him idly wondered how he could have overlooked her beauty for so long.

Stepping off the last step and setting foot on the porch he nearly froze. Being slightly uneven the top step usually alerted the farm that visitors were coming before the doorbell had been rung. And in the confusion of realizing his feelings for Chloe he had totally forgotten about it.

Immediately she turned towards him. Swallowing around the lump in his throat he plastered a hopefully convincing smile on his face. He couldn't see her face, as she was still silhuetted against the light.

"Sorry, am I late?"

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Sorry i havn't posted sooner, but this chapter really didn't want to get written. I've probably rewritten every single line atleast twice. And I'm still not happy with it.

So if you like it, Fine. If you hate it... Then I'm in good company.

Either way, R&R!

The next one should be posted in a while (And hopefully being slightly better than this one)

//TheUnwelcomeVisitor


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11.

_Oooohhhh…_

For several moments all Chloe could do was stare at the vision in front of her. Turning around expecting to see your middle-aged father and coming face-to-face with the boy of your dreams, definitely affected the parts of your mind connected with coherent thought. It wasn't that she couldn't think, definitely not. The problem was that the only thing she could think about was him.

It was as if all air had been driven out of her lungs. She wanted to breathe, she wanted to gasp for air, but all she could do was stare at him in silent wonder.

Some still coherent part of her brain rebelled at the thought that she was once again staring in awe at Clark. What was this? "Ooohhh" number eight? Nine? It honestly felt like all she had done all day was turning around, noticing him looking mind numbingly handsome, and then losing all higher brain functions. Not that she minded, really. Turning around and finding yourself a couple of feet from Clark? _Decidedly not unpleasant._ It was a sight she would never get tired from watching. But she really wished she could remain able to actually think as well as enjoying the view.

But that obviously wasn't going to happen, at least not today. As her gaze flickered over his face, not being able to decide where to focus her attention, she drank in the sight of him. In the weak light coming from the kitchen window he shone, his usually tanned skin glowing golden, and his green eyes sparkling, reflecting the light in a way that made her knees weak. Her gaze focused on the entrancing lips slightly curled in a half smile. She wished those lips could form the familiar smile that always seemed to melt her heart. She wished she could press her own against them.

Her gaze strayed to cover the rest of him. She could only say one thing. It definitely wasn't flannel. It wasn't the only thing she noticed however, only the one thought she managed to put words to. Gaze sliding up across the dark denim covering his legs and over the white cotton barely covering his chest… well, suddenly she was very glad he didn't had the Kent charm switched on as it was all she could do to stop herself from jumping him on the porch in front of her dad as it was. Remembering how her hands had roamed over his body earlier, she tore her eyes from his chest hurriedly, blushing wildly. Parts of her were still ashamed for what she had done in front of half the students in Smallville, and wished he would forget how forward she had been. She, herself, would never forget. She would probably dream about it for years, if not forever.

Realizing she stood silent and blushing in front of him, she straightened a little, and made a serious attempt to keep the awestruck admiration from her face.

"Sorry, I'm late?"_ God, even his voice makes me shiver…_

Desperately clawing her way trough the emotions clouding her mind, she managed to regain some semblance of control. _What did he mean? Was he asking if he was late? Was he claiming to be sorry to be late? Was he asking her if she was sorry he was late?_

As the questions rambled on trough her mind, she was forced to admit her control obviously was only superficial. Luckily, Chloe's mind worked fast.

"No, shocked actually. Since it's a couple of minutes past I wasn't actually expecting you for another fifteen." _Nice… you actually have a shot with the guy of your dreams, and you immediately turn on the snark…_

But she saw his smile widen. Trying to close her eyes, and finding herself unable to tear her eyes from his face, she trembled. It was like looking into the sun.

Steeling herself she finally managed to look away long enough to regain the lost brain functions. It wasn't fair; Clark's new outfit coupled with the all too clear memories of him wearing almost nothing left her unable to look at him without losing it completely. Taking deep breaths she tried mentally rebuilding some of the walls that had kept her sane in the presence of Clark Kent earlier.

"Come on, my dad's waiting."_ Listen, that didn't even sound strangled. You might even be able look at him without drooling by the end of the night._ Glancing at him and nearly ruining all her efforts to compose herself, Chloe doubted it.

Brushing past him, doing her best not to breathe in the scent of him as she did, she started walking down the porch stairs. And being rather proud she didn't show her emotions on her face as her dad came into view.

Even though her mind still felt full of cotton, and she felt in desperate need of some caffeine to steady her hands, the earlier high haven left her half an hour ago, she still managed to unsteadily smile towards her dad. Her mind, cotton filled as it felt, were in uproar.

Her reaction to him and his seemingly casual indifference to how she looked had made her newfound confidence waver. She felt more beautiful now than she ever had before, and still Clark Kent wouldn't look at her like she was female. She had thought he had earlier, been almost positive in fact, but seeing his confident, unruffled appearance now almost managed to convince her it had all been imagined.

_How come he doesn't even notice how I look while I melt just seeing him?_

The thought echoed in her mind, drawing strength from her insecurities, echoing louder and louder. One question, gnawing at her confidence. A question she wasn't sure she wanted the answer to.

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Clark Kent had always thought he only had one weakness, that being meteor rocks. One weakness… Well, today he learned he had another.

Chloe had stood silhouetted against the light, which had meant he hadn't been able to see her face very clearly. That had changed as she brushed past him on her way down the stairs. He had got one glance at her before she had gone past him. One glance.

One glance had been enough.

One glance had left him staring dumbly trough the air; gaze plastered on the spot she had occupied a moment ago, knees trembling and heart pounding heavily.

One glance of her face had left him breathless. He had always known Chloe was beautiful, but never realized just how beautiful she was. Now he had, and it was kind of a lot to spring on a teenage boy all at once. Because saying Chloe was beautiful was as wrong as saying the sun is warm. Technically it was true, but at the same time it was not really the whole truth. Knowing Chloe was beautiful and realizing she was, was like knowing the suns hot and then suddenly stand three feet away.

And some people might think he was exaggerating, because, well even though he was a super powered alien he was still a teenager, and a male one at that. And a male teenager suddenly thinking a teenage girl is the most beautiful one he's ever seen? Well, it wouldn't exactly be a "inform the media" or "the president must know" moment. But Clark knew they would be wrong. He knew that no matter how old, no matter how inhuman he ever became, he would always look at Chloe like she was the most beautiful woman alive. Because now he saw trough the façade of being "just friends", he saw the truth.

At least that was what he thought, but seeing as he had to check twice before he was sure he wasn't drooling, that probably didn't mean much to anyone else.

Turning to follow her down the stairs he nearly came to a complete stop as his gaze fell on her. His mind did in fact completely stop for a short moment, before rebooting it self to focus all it's attention on the female in front of him. While glancing at her face made him think of how beautiful she was and left him breathless, glancing at the way her hips swayed as she walked down the stairs made him nearly swallow his tongue and filled his mind with unclean thoughts. And the fact that this was the first good look he got of what she was wearing was not helping. Neither was the fact that her skirt seemed to show more skin than he was usually subjected to. Not that he complained, but the skirt was probably the reason the "glance" lasted for several seconds. Which meant he stood staring at the girl who, for now at least, was his best friend, and he had done so in front of her father.

Tearing his eyes from Chloe, with difficulty, feeling his face redden he hurried after Chloe, purposefully avoiding meeting Mr. Sullivan's eyes.

Almost running down the stairs to catch up with Chloe, he realized that he had no idea how he was going to find out if she had been serious with the whole date thing. She hadn't said more than a dozen words to him yet, and he had managed a whole three of his own. Considering he had been speaking with Chloe a ratio of four to one wasn't really unusual, but if he was going to have any hope of figuring out if the date was really a date he probably had to manage better than that.

_Oh God._

All reasoning stopped abruptly. Running after her, deep in his own thoughts, he missed the fact that she had stopped and nearly ran into her. Fortunately he was, as mentioned earlier, a super powered alien and managed to stop before running straight into her. Unfortunately he also still was a teenaged male. A teenage male standing roughly six inches behind a teenage girl he had realized was incredibly beautiful only minutes before. Clark had always wondered how much his physique differed from an ordinary humans and, considering the need for secrecy, would probably continue to wonder, as the only way for him to learn the differences involved him being strapped to a table and studied.

But one thing was in that moment made perfectly clear. No matter how alien he was, he was still a boy feeling the full effects of puberty. Meaning that, faced with the proximity of a beautiful blonde, the intoxicating smell of her perfume, and the very clear memories of the earlier day, he was suddenly feeling rather glad she was not looking at him at the moment. This was their first date after all. And he didn't really want her to see the look of dumbstruck awe he could feel himself sporting. Neither did he want her to see the equally visible signs of his appreciation of her good looks.

Stepping around her quickly, opening the car door for her, he got the first good look of her face that night. With an effort of will he kept his face still as she climbed into the car and closed the door behind her before succumbing to the emotions raging inside him. Shivering, he exhaled heavily. The nervous energy suddenly rushing trough his body made the effort of simply standing there instead of superspeed across the farm almost overpowering.

Walking around the car, he willed his trembling hands to still, and opened the door. Climbing into the car he silently cursed himself. It had seemed almost terrifying to walk up those porch stairs, fearing she would see straight trough him, see what he so suddenly realized he felt. See that he wanted to be more than just friends. Fearing that she would see it, and laugh, or look at him in disgust. Now he feared neither.

Now he only feared he would never be able to look at her without losing his mind completely.

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Finally it's finished.

This chapter took a lot more time than I thought it would. But hopefully you'll feel like it wasn't a complete waste of time.

either way, let me know. R&R, please.

//TheUnwelcomeVisitor


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